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What Causes Heart Palpitations In An Elderly Person?
Posted on
Wed, 4 May 2016
Medically reviewed by
Ask A Doctor - 24x7 Medical Review Team
Wed, 4 May 2016
Answered on
Fri, 17 Jun 2016
Last reviewed on
Question : I STARTED GETTING PALPITATIONS ABOUT AN HOUR AGO..I'M 70 YEARS OLD AND HAVE HIGH CHOLESTORAL…I JUST TOOK BABY ASPERIN AND I'M IN GOOD HEALTH….SHOULD I GO TO HOSPITAL?
Brief Answer:
About your palpitations:
Detailed Answer:
Hello,
If you are feeling ANY chest discomfort, or light headedness, shortness of breath, or any other symptoms with this, you should go to the ER.
Sometimes palpitations can be innocuous, but sometimes they can mean a bad type of heart rhythm, and for this reason, it might be best to play on the safe side and go to the ER. There, they can do an EKG, and monitor your heart rhythm and rate.
About your palpitations:
Detailed Answer:
Hello,
If you are feeling ANY chest discomfort, or light headedness, shortness of breath, or any other symptoms with this, you should go to the ER.
Sometimes palpitations can be innocuous, but sometimes they can mean a bad type of heart rhythm, and for this reason, it might be best to play on the safe side and go to the ER. There, they can do an EKG, and monitor your heart rhythm and rate.
Above answer was peer-reviewed by :
Dr. Chakravarthy Mazumdar
The palpitations have subsided and I'm belching a bit….Usually I don't belch at all..
I will call doctor tomorrow…
any additional info would be appreciated.
thank you
I will call doctor tomorrow…
any additional info would be appreciated.
thank you
Brief Answer:
About palpitations:
Detailed Answer:
If you are feeling otherwise well and the palpitations have stopped, your plan is ok.
Palpitations are what people feel under a number of different situations. Sometimes when the heart is beating fast and hard, but regularly, people describe this as palpitations.
A few palpitations here and there, as individual events, or runs of less than 6 beats in a row are usually benign too, but need to be checked out. These are usually caused by something called "premature ventricular contractions" or PVCs. These can happen when the usual electrical path in the heart that causes a regular rhythm doesn't happen right. It can be caused by the impulse not starting with the natural pacemaker in the sino-atrial node, or problems with conduction anywhere along the pathway.
If there are more than 6 of these PVCs in a row, the heart can go into a very dangerous rhythm such as ventricular tachycardia. This can be lethal.
If the heart beats during palpatations are not conducting blood to the heart muscle itself adequately, it can cause chest pressure or pain. And when the heart is not beating effectively, as happens with PVCs, the blood isn't conducted around the body efficiently, leading to light headedness and sometimes shortness of breath and nausea. One way to tell if the normal beats are being skipped is to feel your pulse at the wrist or neck and see if the rhythm is regular.
In situations where palpatations are not PVCs (and they usually are PVCs) but actually tachycardia (heart is racing but normal rhythm), this can be felt by taking your pulse too. If the heart rate is over 100 beats per minute and you are feeling light headed at all (or chest pain/pressure), that is concerning too and should be seen in the ER.
I hope this helps. Please don't be afraid to go in to the ER if any heart symptoms return and you are feeling unwell.
About palpitations:
Detailed Answer:
If you are feeling otherwise well and the palpitations have stopped, your plan is ok.
Palpitations are what people feel under a number of different situations. Sometimes when the heart is beating fast and hard, but regularly, people describe this as palpitations.
A few palpitations here and there, as individual events, or runs of less than 6 beats in a row are usually benign too, but need to be checked out. These are usually caused by something called "premature ventricular contractions" or PVCs. These can happen when the usual electrical path in the heart that causes a regular rhythm doesn't happen right. It can be caused by the impulse not starting with the natural pacemaker in the sino-atrial node, or problems with conduction anywhere along the pathway.
If there are more than 6 of these PVCs in a row, the heart can go into a very dangerous rhythm such as ventricular tachycardia. This can be lethal.
If the heart beats during palpatations are not conducting blood to the heart muscle itself adequately, it can cause chest pressure or pain. And when the heart is not beating effectively, as happens with PVCs, the blood isn't conducted around the body efficiently, leading to light headedness and sometimes shortness of breath and nausea. One way to tell if the normal beats are being skipped is to feel your pulse at the wrist or neck and see if the rhythm is regular.
In situations where palpatations are not PVCs (and they usually are PVCs) but actually tachycardia (heart is racing but normal rhythm), this can be felt by taking your pulse too. If the heart rate is over 100 beats per minute and you are feeling light headed at all (or chest pain/pressure), that is concerning too and should be seen in the ER.
I hope this helps. Please don't be afraid to go in to the ER if any heart symptoms return and you are feeling unwell.
Above answer was peer-reviewed by :
Dr. Chakravarthy Mazumdar
Answered by
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