Palpitation
| Palpitation | |
|---|---|
| Classification and external resources | |
| Specialty | Cardiology |
| ICD-10 | R00.2 |
| ICD-9-CM | 785.1 |
| DiseasesDB | 29231 |
| MedlinePlus | 003081 |
| eMedicine | aaem/337 |
| Patient UK | Palpitations |
Palpitations are the perceived abnormality of the heartbeat characterized by awareness of cardiac muscle contractions in the chest: hard, fast and/or irregular beats, as well as pauses. It is both a symptom reported by the patient and a medical diagnosis. Palpitation is frequently associated with anxiety and does not necessarily indicate a structural or functional abnormality of the heart, but it can be a symptom arising from an objectively rapid or irregular heartbeat. Palpitation can be intermittent and of variable frequency and duration, or continuous. Associated symptoms include dizziness, shortness of breath, sweating, headaches, and chest pain.
Palpitation may be associated with coronary heart disease, hyperthyroidism, diseases affecting cardiac muscle such as hypertrophic cardiomyopathy, diseases causing low blood oxygen such as asthma and emphysema; kidney disease; low levels of brain serotonin; blood loss, and pain; drugs such as antidepressants, alcohol, nicotine, caffeine, cocaine, and amphetamines; electrolyte imbalances of magnesium, potassium and calcium; and deficiencies of nutrients such as taurine, arginine, and iron.
Three common descriptions of palpitation are "flip-flopping" (or "stop and start"), often caused by premature contraction of the atrium or ventricle, with the perceived "stop" from the pause following the contraction, and the "start" from the subsequent forceful contraction; rapid "fluttering in the chest," with regular "fluttering" suggesting supraventricular or ventricular arrhythmias (including sinus tachycardia) and irregular "fluttering" suggesting atrial fibrillation, atrial flutter, or tachycardia with variable block; and "pounding in the neck" or neck pulsations, often due to "cannon" A waves in the jugular venous pulsations that occur when the right atrium contracts against a closed tricuspid valve.
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Wikipedia