Today, there are a huge number of heart diseases. The most common among them is considered to be ventricular arrhythmia, which occurs as a result of premature excitation of impulses that come from the ventricular system. In this case, the heart rhythm is broken, extraordinary contractions of its lower parts appear. Ventricular arrhythmia is observed today in 60% of people, most often of advanced age. Sometimes heart rhythm disturbances can be seen in young healthy people. What determines the occurrence of this pathology, what symptoms it has and what to treat it with - we will talk about this.
Disease Description
A disease is a heart rhythm disorder when conducting impulses form in the heart ventricles, below the point where the bundle of His branches. Ventricular arrhythmia, treatment and symptoms, we will consider below, is of different types. They act as conditions that threaten the appearance of severe disorders in the work of the heart, as well as the sudden cessation of the activity of this organ. Asymptomatic, mild forms of arrhythmias may also occur.
Forms of ventricular arrhythmias
In medicine, it is customary to distinguish three groups of this kind of disease: extrasystole, tachycardia and fibrillation (flicker). Depending on the form of the manifestation of the disease, appropriate treatment is prescribed. In addition, the symptoms of arrhythmias can also vary. Let us consider this question in more detail.
Extrasystole
This form of the disease is one of the most frequently recorded, it is caused by premature heart contraction. Ventricular arrhythmia (extrasystole) is found in 70% of people of various ages, its appearance is often caused by stress, the use of alcohol and nicotine, and coffee. Also, arrhythmia of this form can occur with damage to the myocardium due to the development of various diseases.
There are five classes of extrasystole, the presence of one of them can be detected using an ECG for twenty-four hours:
- zero class suggests the absence of extrasystoles;
- the first class is characterized by the appearance of no more than thirty single reductions in one hour;
- the second class is characterized by the appearance of more than thirty single reductions in one hour;
- the third class suggests the presence of extrasystoles polymorphic;
- the fourth class suggests the presence of paired polymorphic or monomorphic contractions;
- the fifth class is characterized by group contractions, at times tachycardia attacks are possible.
Tachycardia
Ventricular arrhythmia of this form is manifested by an increase in the frequency of contractions of the heart (more than 90 beats per minute). Tachycardia can manifest itself as a pathology, and as a physiological phenomenon with attacks of fear, physical activity, and more. Most often, it is a symptom of the development of various disorders of the endocrine, autonomic nervous systems. Tachycardia as a pathology can lead to bad consequences. So, blood pressure drops, blood flow to the organs slows down, and the blood supply to the body and heart also deteriorates, which leads to the risk of coronary disease or heart attack. There are several classes of tachycardia:
1. Sinus - there is a violation of the transmission of impulses to the ventricles from the sinus node. This can be the result of a malfunction of the unit itself, or during stress, fear, and so on.
2. Paroxysmal - there is an attack of heartbeat up to 300 beats per minute, which occurs and disappears suddenly. This may be due to an increase in the activity of the sympathetic nervous system, as well as a change in the myocardium. Most often, it occurs in the second case and is observed in most cases in men. Such tachycardia can develop into ischemia, hypotension, as well as ventricular fibrillation. Constant attacks of tachycardia adversely affect the blood circulation of the body, increasing the risk of mortality.
Fibrillation
Atrial ventricular arrhythmia, or fibrillation, is characterized by a heartbeat of up to 480 beats per minute, while the ventricles contract uncoordinated, the heart eventually stops, a person dies. Fibrillation is often a consequence of a heart attack. In medicine, it is customary to distinguish several classes of atrial fibrillation:
- Primary - appears in the first two days after the onset of a heart attack and is a common cause of sudden death of people.
- Secondary ciliary ventricular arrhythmia of the heart develops due to cardiogenic shock in patients with a heart attack.
- Late fibrillation appears in the fourth week of the disease.
Fibrillation in all cases begins suddenly. Three hours after its appearance, the head begins to spin, weakness appears. After twenty hours, a person loses consciousness, after forty hours cramps begin, the pupils dilate, breathing gradually becomes less frequent, and then it completely stops, clinical death occurs.
Classification
Depending on what consequences may develop after ventricular arrhythmia of the heart has appeared (symptoms will be discussed in this article), it is customary to distinguish:
1. Functional arrhythmias are characterized by a lack of heart damage, which is serious. There are practically no complications after.
2. Arrhythmias, which are dangerous for humans and develop against a background of heart disease, mortality in this case increases.
3. Malignant development of cardiac arrhythmias, appears in serious heart diseases and often leads to death.
Reasons for the appearance
The development of arrhythmias can occur for various reasons, sometimes they are unknown. In the latter case, it is customary to talk about a disease that is idiopathic. Most often, ventricular arrhythmia (symptoms, treatment and the prognosis will be discussed below) occurs as a result of the development of heart disease: ischemia, heart attack, cardiosclerosis, damage to the mitral valve, as well as myocardial inflammation, hypertension, which is malignant, pulmonary pathology. In some cases, VSD, hernia and osteochondrosis can also cause the development of arrhythmias. Idiopathic arrhythmia is provoked by external factors: smoking, alcohol and coffee, frequent use of heart medications.
Symptoms and signs
Ventricular arrhythmia does not have symptoms that are pronounced. Different people may have different sensations that do not depend on the cause of the ailment. Most often, patients experience weakness, shortness of breath, dizziness. The manifestation of symptoms on the ECG is clearly visible. First of all, there is an increase in size and deformation of the tooth, which is part of the ventricular complex. More than three consecutive heart contractions also indicate the presence of arrhythmia. For extrasystole, pallor, a sense of anxiety, increased sweating, a feeling of shortness of breath, interruptions in the work of the heart are inherent. With tachycardia, dizziness (until unconscious) is observed, heart pain, palpitations, shortness of breath, hypotension, and convulsions. Fibrillation often manifests itself in the form of fainting, chest pain, pulmonary edema, and pulse deficiency. Its symptoms are due to the fact that the ventricles contract quickly and irregularly.
Diagnosis of ailment
Ventricular arrhythmia can be confirmed by ECG monitoring, and an ECG with exercise, a VEM or a treadmill test can also be performed. The study includes registration of cardiac impulses using electrodes that are installed on the skin of the human chest, as well as on his arms and legs. The readings are recorded on the monitor, after which they are transmitted to a printing device and printed on paper. With VEM, indicators are taken during a load, for this, an exercise bike is used. With the treadmill test, a treadmill is used. In the case of diagnostics, it is necessary to take into account those factors that affect the appearance and termination of seizures. This includes the emotional and mental state of the patient, physical activity, taking medications, and more. Additional research methods for the presence of arrhythmias are: radiography, tomography, ultrasound of the heart. The further treatment of the disease will depend on the results of these tests.
Ventricular Arrhythmia: Treatment
If a disease is detected, not all cases require special treatment. With medical treatment, it is recommended to pay attention to the side effects of the drugs, as well as the period of their administration, since it can unreasonably harm health. For some pathologies of the heart, the use of drugs for arrhythmia is contraindicated, as this can provoke cardiac arrest. Consider the methods and methods of treating arrhythmias in its various forms.
Extrasystole treatment
In frequent cases, this disease is associated with a lack of electrolytes in the human body, which is detected by a blood test. Therefore, with an extrasystole, a magnesium-potassium diet is often recommended. It is also worth paying attention to sleep and rest, diet, bad habits, frequent coffee consumption, stress and so on. Sedatives may be prescribed. If ventricular arrhythmia is difficult, then medication is prescribed, and in some cases surgical intervention is required. The patient is credited with electrolytes, ACE inhibitors, nitrates and more. Of great importance is given to drugs against arrhythmia.
Tachycardia Treatment
There are two groups of medicines whose action is aimed at treating tachycardia: sedatives and antiarrhythmic drugs. Sedatives are attributed if there is GVA. It can be Diazepam, Persen, Glycine and others. Antiarrhythmic ventricular arrhythmias are appointed after the cause of the pathology is established. This may be Verapamine, Anaprilin, Adenosine, and so on. In any case, treatment should be carried out by a specialist.
Fibrillation treatment
If the attack of fibrillation appeared for the first time or is inconsistent in nature, it must be stopped with the help of "Quinidine", "Cordorona" or "Novokainamid". If fibrillation is permanent, you should always take medications to prevent stroke. In this case, anticoagulant therapy is appropriate, you need to take acetylsalicylic acid, Warfarin, heparins.
Prognosis for Arrhythmias
The prognosis for such an ailment will depend on its form, the presence of pathology of the heart, circulatory disorders in humans. Ventricular and supraventricular arrhythmias, which are not associated with heart disease, do not threaten the life and health of people. If the disease develops against a background of heart pathology, the prognosis will be unfavorable. Life expectancy here will depend on timely treatment. Therefore, it is recommended to monitor indicators in the work of the heart and follow all medical recommendations, then the disease can be stopped. At the same time, one should not forget about preventive measures, since taking care of one’s health can play a big role, and in some cases, save a person’s life.
Prevention
First of all, the prevention of arrhythmias is aimed at treating heart pathology, which contributes to rhythm and conduction disturbances. It is necessary to exclude the causes of the disease, it can be intoxication, GVA, stress, electrolyte imbalance, etc. It is necessary to limit the intake of alcohol, nicotine and caffeine, as well as the independent use of drugs against arrhythmia. Treatment should be carried out strictly by a doctor. Thus, the prevention of the disease is as follows:
- treatment of major heart ailments;
- diet;
- elimination of bad habits;
- control of physical activity, weight, pressure;
- prevention with medication.
As drugs, it is recommended to take "Panangin" (potassium and magnesium), vitamin B6, "Rhythmorm", "Allapinin" and others.
With arrhythmias, you can play sports, but physical activity should be small. Do not overload the body. By following all the recommendations and monitoring your health, you can save not only him, but also your life, and the doctor, in turn, will help determine the choice of drugs.