Is It Normal To Experience Skipped Beat With Fever And Chills?

Posted on Tue, 17 Dec 2013

Medically reviewed by Ask A Doctor - 24x7 Medical Review Team

Tue, 17 Dec 2013 Answered on

Mon, 6 Jan 2014 Last reviewed on

Question : I am a 24 year old male. I was diagnosed with an irregular heart beat about 3 years ago . I have had every test ran possible and all docs have ruled out anything serious or detrimental to my health. About 3 days ago I have came down with a sickness which I'm pretty sure is the flu. 102 degree Fahrenheit temp , cough , body ache , stuffy nose and chills . I have been expierencing a skipped beat once every five minutes since then . Is this normal with fever or chills or do I need to go see my doc? I figured I could ride it out and when I heal it will go away.

Answered by Dr. Dr.Albana Sejdini Greca (1 hour later)

Brief Answer: High fever as cause to extra heart beats... Detailed Answer: Hi, I read your medical history and understood your concerns. It is great that the cardiac tests did not show any heart damage. Please bare in mind that it is normal for the young adults to have irregular heart beats once in a while when there is not heart problem. In your case, the irregular heart beats is caused by high fever and possible dehydration because of fever. However, I'd also suggest to: - do a complete blood profile (to check for anemia) - check your thyroid hormones (to exclude hypothyroid) - check the balance of the electrolytes (to rule out hypokalemia) - monitor your blood pressure when you feel extra heart beats (to exclude hypotension). I'd advise to: - drink more water - avoid caffein drinks, and alcohol - if you do smoke, please start stopping it - try to be away from illicit drugs - if you are passing a hard (stressful) period, try stress relieving techniques to cope with stress. Hope it answered to your inquiry! Feel free to ask me again if you have further concerns! Dr.Alba

Above answer was peer-reviewed by : Dr. Yogesh D