Arrhythmia

Also called: Irregular heartbeat

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Summary

An arrhythmia is a problem with the rate or rhythm of your heartbeat. It means that your heart beats too quickly, too slowly, or with an irregular pattern. When the heart beats faster than normal, it is called tachycardia. When the heart beats too slowly, it is called bradycardia. The most common type of arrhythmia is atrial fibrillation, which causes an irregular and fast heart beat.

Many factors can affect your heart's rhythm, such as having had a heart attack, smoking, congenital heart defects, and stress. Some substances or medicines may also cause arrhythmias.

Symptoms of arrhythmias include:

Fast or slow heart beat
Skipping beats
Lightheadedness or dizziness
Chest pain
Shortness of breath
Sweating

Your doctor can run tests to find out if you have an arrhythmia. Treatment to restore a normal heart rhythm may include medicines, an implantable cardioverter-defibrillator (ICD) or pacemaker, or sometimes surgery.

NIH: National Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute

Start Here

About Arrhythmia (American Heart Association)
Arrhythmia (American Academy of Family Physicians) Also in Spanish
Categories of Arrhythmias (Texas Heart Institute) Also in Spanish
What Is an Arrhythmia? (National Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute) Also in Spanish

Diagnosis and Tests

Common Tests for Arrhythmia (American Heart Association)
Electrophysiology Studies (EPS) (American Heart Association)
Heart Health Tests: MedlinePlus Health Topic (National Library of Medicine) Also in Spanish
Heart Tests (National Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute) Also in Spanish
Skipped Beats (Heart Rhythm Society)
Slow Heartbeat (Heart Rhythm Society)
Syncope (National Institute of Neurological Disorders and Stroke)
Tilt Table Test (Mayo Foundation for Medical Education and Research) Also in Spanish

Prevention and Risk Factors

Early Warning Signs and Risk Factors for Arrhythmias and Heart Disease (Heart Rhythm Society)
Understand Your Risk for Arrhythmia (American Heart Association)

Treatments and Therapies

Antiarrhythmics (Texas Heart Institute) Also in Spanish
Heart Treatments (National Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute) Also in Spanish
Medications for Arrhythmia (American Heart Association)
Pacemakers and Implantable Defibrillators: MedlinePlus Health Topic (National Library of Medicine) Also in Spanish
Prevention and Treatment of Arrhythmia (American Heart Association)
What Are Defibrillators? (National Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute) Also in Spanish

Related Issues

AED (Automated External Defibrillator) Programs: Questions and Answers (American Heart Association) - PDF
All about Heart Rate (Pulse) (American Heart Association)
Automated External Defibrillators: Do You Need an AED? (Mayo Foundation for Medical Education and Research) Also in Spanish
Substances and Heart Rhythm Disorders (Heart Rhythm Society)
Sudden Death in Young People: Heart Problems Often Blamed (Mayo Foundation for Medical Education and Research) Also in Spanish

Specifics

Arrhythmogenic Right Ventricular Cardiomyopathy (ARVC) (American Academy of Family Physicians) Also in Spanish
Atrial Flutter (AFL) (Heart Rhythm Society)
Bradycardia (Mayo Foundation for Medical Education and Research) Also in Spanish
Brugada Syndrome (Mayo Foundation for Medical Education and Research) Also in Spanish
Bundle Branch Block (Mayo Foundation for Medical Education and Research)
Cardiac Arrest: MedlinePlus Health Topic (National Library of Medicine) Also in Spanish
Conduction Disorders (National Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute) Also in Spanish
Heart Rhythm Disorders (Heart Rhythm Society)
Long QT Syndrome (National Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute)
Other Heart Rhythm Disorders (American Heart Association)
Postural Tachycardia Syndrome (POTS) (National Institute of Neurological Disorders and Stroke)
Premature Contractions -- PACs and PVCs (American Heart Association)
Premature Ventricular Contractions (PVCs) (Mayo Foundation for Medical Education and Research) Also in Spanish
Recognizing POTS: Learn to Spot This Mysterious Condition (National Institutes of Health) Also in Spanish
Sick Sinus Syndrome (Mayo Foundation for Medical Education and Research) Also in Spanish
Tachycardia (Mayo Foundation for Medical Education and Research) Also in Spanish
Tachycardia: Fast Heart Rate (American Heart Association)
Ventricular Fibrillation (Mayo Foundation for Medical Education and Research) Also in Spanish
What Is Cardiac Arrest? (National Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute) Also in Spanish
Wolff-Parkinson-White Syndrome (National Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute)
Wolff-Parkinson-White Syndrome and Accessory Pathways (American Heart Association)

Genetics

Andersen-Tawil syndrome: MedlinePlus Genetics (National Library of Medicine)
Ankyrin-B syndrome: MedlinePlus Genetics (National Library of Medicine)
Brugada syndrome: MedlinePlus Genetics (National Library of Medicine)
Catecholaminergic polymorphic ventricular tachycardia: MedlinePlus Genetics (National Library of Medicine)
Jervell and Lange-Nielsen syndrome: MedlinePlus Genetics (National Library of Medicine)
Progressive familial heart block: MedlinePlus Genetics (National Library of Medicine)
Romano-Ward syndrome: MedlinePlus Genetics (National Library of Medicine)
Short QT syndrome: MedlinePlus Genetics (National Library of Medicine)
Sick sinus syndrome: MedlinePlus Genetics (National Library of Medicine)
Timothy syndrome: MedlinePlus Genetics (National Library of Medicine)
Wolff-Parkinson-White syndrome: MedlinePlus Genetics (National Library of Medicine)

Videos and Tutorials

Arrhythmias (Medical Encyclopedia) Also in Spanish
Cardiac conduction system (Medical Encyclopedia) Also in Spanish
Heartbeat (Medical Encyclopedia) Also in Spanish

Test Your Knowledge

Heart Palpitations Quiz (Medical Encyclopedia) Also in Spanish

Clinical Trials

ClinicalTrials.gov: Arrhythmias, Cardiac (National Institutes of Health)
ClinicalTrials.gov: Bradycardia (National Institutes of Health)
ClinicalTrials.gov: Tachycardia (National Institutes of Health)
ClinicalTrials.gov: Tachycardia, Ectopic Atrial (National Institutes of Health)

Journal Articles References and abstracts from MEDLINE/PubMed (National Library of Medicine)

Reference Desk

Heart Anatomy (Texas Heart Institute) Also in Spanish
Heart Information Center (Texas Heart Institute) Also in Spanish
How the Heart Works (National Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute) Also in Spanish

Find an Expert

American Heart Association
Find a Heart Rhythm Specialist (Heart Rhythm Society)
National Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute
UpBeat.org (Heart Rhythm Society)

Children

Arrhythmia (Abnormal Heartbeat) (Nemours Foundation) Also in Spanish
Heart Palpitations (For Parents) (Nemours Foundation)
Treating Arrhythmias in Children (American Heart Association)

Patient Handouts

Arrhythmias (Medical Encyclopedia) Also in Spanish
Atrial fibrillation and atrial flutter (Medical Encyclopedia) Also in Spanish
Cardiac ablation procedures (Medical Encyclopedia) Also in Spanish
Ectopic heartbeat (Medical Encyclopedia) Also in Spanish
Electrocardiogram (Medical Encyclopedia) Also in Spanish
Exercise stress test (Medical Encyclopedia) Also in Spanish
Heart palpitations (Medical Encyclopedia) Also in Spanish
Holter monitor (24h) (Medical Encyclopedia) Also in Spanish
Paroxysmal supraventricular tachycardia (PSVT) (Medical Encyclopedia) Also in Spanish
Ventricular tachycardia (Medical Encyclopedia) Also in Spanish
Wolff-Parkinson-White syndrome (WPW) (Medical Encyclopedia) Also in Spanish