What is “arrhythmia”?
The heart beats with electrical impulses at a steady rate. At rest, the normal rate is 60 to 90-100 beats per minute.
The electric current that drives comes in an area of the heart – the sinus node, at the right atrium – which plays the role of power. It then goes through the two atria (right and left) and causes contraction, which causes the blood from the atria to the ventricles. He then came into the area at the junction between the atria and ventricles, the atrio-ventricular node, where it is dispatched to the two ventricles, causing a contraction is homogeneous and powerful than the blood so the heart and circulates throughout the body.
For various reasons, this beautiful mechanics can become misaligned. The rhythm of the heartbeat becomes irregular and / or inadequate: this is called an arrhythmia or an arrhythmia.
These disorders can be punctual (they are then called paroxysmal) or permanent.


Several kinds of arrhythmias
Rhythm disorders are numerous and vary depending on the origin and location of the electrical fault. Here are the most common:
Sinus bradycardia is defined as a heart beat too slow (less than 60 per minute) but steady. This disorder may be secondary to diseases such as hypothyroidism, for example, but is most commonly due to medication. In older athletes, it is the result of physiological adaptation to stress.
Sinus tachycardia is, conversely, to the heartbeat regular but too fast (over 120 per minute).


This disorder may be secondary to certain illnesses (fever, hyperthyroidism). But also to excessive consumption of stimulants (coffee, tea, tobacco, alcohol.) Or drugs (amphetamines.).
Extra systoles are abnormal contractions of the heart that beats are added to normal and generate brief compensatory rest. These moments of compensatory rest are often perceived as a feeling of temporary stopping of heart but extra systoles are most often benign.
Atrial fibrillation is due to uncoordinated, inefficient and too fast the atria (atrial tachycardia). The ventricles “follow” as they can, at a slower rate than the atria, but irregular. Atrial fibrillation may have several causes: hypertension, heart valve disease, hyperthyroidism. In 20% of cases it occurs in the absence of any cardiac anomaly: atrial fibrillation is idiopathic.
The atrial flutter and atrial tachycardia are 2 forms of arrhythmia that also affect the atria, the contractions of the past become very fast (200 to 350 for flutter, 180 to 200 for the atrial tachycardia), but remain regular. Again, the ventricles “follow” as they can, but at a steady rate. These disorders are usually resulting from heart disease but may also occur on a healthy heart.
Bouveret’s disease or tachycardia Bouveret is characterized by sudden onset of a regular tachycardia between 180 and 220 beats per minute, which usually resolves spontaneously and just as suddenly it arrived. This rhythm disorder, affecting more frequently young women, is stressful and unpleasant but usually Benin.
Ventricular arrhythmias (tachycardia and ventricular fibrillation), in which the ventricles contract too quickly and independently of the atria. The most often resulting from heart disease or certain drug intoxications, these are serious accidents that can cause death.

What may be their consequences?
Some arrhythmias are benign, as Bouveret’s disease or some premature, but most require a notice cardiology and comprehensive diagnostic workup, which may be made without urgency.
Disorders generate essentially benign palpitations or sensations of discomfort, but do not cause sudden loss of consciousness.
By cons, disorders like atrial fibrillation, atrial flutter or tachycardia require cardiological assessment and pushed fast as they can have serious consequences: formation of blood clots in the atria may migrate to the brain (stroke or stroke) in Member of the arteries, or exceptionally to the lung (pulmonary embolism), shortness of breath, malaise, loss of consciousness.
As for ventricular arrhythmias, they require an urgent treatment, especially when there is a heart underneath.
Appropriate therapy can mitigate these consequences.

How do they deal?
The treatments vary according to several criteria: cause trouble, location, events, severity and age of the person concerned. In most cases, medication is sufficient to effectively treat most.
If unsuccessful, it may be appealed to interventional therapy: implementation of external electric shock, radiofrequency ablation or establishment of a defibrillator implanted.