Tachycardia is an increase in the frequency of heartbeats over a hundred beats per minute. This phenomenon can be physiological and can be observed in absolutely healthy people in the following cases:
- with physical activity (fast walking, running, dancing, swimming, etc.);
- with emotional shocks (fear, excitement, anger, joy, etc.);
- with pain syndrome;
- when in a hot, stuffy room;
- After using stimulants - strong coffee, tea, etc.
In these cases, tachycardia does not threaten the state of health and is felt as a "fluttering" of the heart, slight unpleasant sensations in the retrograde region. If the tachycardia is pathological, then it is accompanied by such symptoms as:
- a sense of failure in the work of the heart;
- dyspnea;
- pain in the chest, etc.
Then you should definitely find out the cause of the pathology and start treatment.
Causes of tachycardia
The causes of the onset of tachycardia can be divided into cardiac and non-cardiac. The first group includes such factors:
- heart failure (acute or stagnant);
- severe angina pectoris;
- heart defects;
- myocardial infarction;
- cardiosclerosis;
- bacterial endocarditis;
- myocarditis of various etiologies;
- cardiomyopathy;
- pericarditis - adhesive and exudative;
- pulmonary embolism.
Non-cardiac causes of tachycardia in young people can be:
- adrenal insufficiency;
- pheochromocytoma - hormonally active tumor;
- malfunctions of the autonomic nervous system;
- endocrine disorders;
- diabetic ketosis;
- low blood sugar;
- lack of sodium in the blood;
- anemia;
- pneumothorax (accumulation of air in the pleural cavity);
- hypoxia;
- Infectious-inflammatory diseases accompanied by fever;
- bronchial asthma;
- allergic reactions;
- hypertensive crisis;
- taking certain medications;
- withdrawal syndrome with alcoholism, etc.
Causes of tachycardia after eating
Sometimes an attack of tachycardia appears immediately after ingestion, more often with overeating. In people with heart, stomach or thyroid disease, obesity, disorders in the nervous system and some other pathologies, the consumption of a large amount of food increases the burden on the heart. This causes an increase in heart rate. Cardiac diseases that can cause a tachycardia after a meal are most often:
- arterial hypertension;
- ischemia;
- heart failure.
Another symptom of tachycardia after eating, in addition to the rapid heartbeat, is shortness of breath, which occurs as a result of compression of the diaphragm as the stomach fills. Nausea, weakness, dizziness may also occur.
Causes of low-pressure tachycardia
The increase in heart rate with a reduced level of blood pressure can be observed in such cases:
- extensive blood loss;
- shock conditions of various origins;
- vegetovascular dystonia ;
- functional thyroid diseases, etc.
In pregnancy, this phenomenon can occur due to an increase in the volume of circulating blood and an increase in the level of progesterone, which affects vascular tone.
Causes of nocturnal tachycardia
Tachycardia can occur at night, while the person wakes up in a cold sweat, he has a sense of anxiety, fear, a sense of lack of air. Such symptoms are most often due to heart disease, thyroid pathology or nervous system.