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Basics

• Summary
• Start Here
• Diagnosis and Tests
• Prevention and Risk Factors
• Treatments and Therapies

Learn More

• Related Issues
• Specifics
• Genetics

See, Play and Learn

• Videos and Tutorials
• Test Your Knowledge

Research

• Clinical Trials
• Journal Articles

Resources

• Reference Desk
• Find an Expert

For You

• Children
• Patient Handouts

Summary

An arrhythmia is a problem with the rate or rhythm of your heartbeat. It means that your heart beats too quickly, too slowly, or with an irregular pattern. When the heart beats faster than normal, it is called tachycardia. When the heart beats too slowly, it is called bradycardia. The most common type of arrhythmia is atrial fibrillation, which causes an irregular and fast heart beat.

Many factors can affect your heart's rhythm, such as having had a heart attack, smoking, congenital heart defects, and stress. Some substances or medicines may also cause arrhythmias.

Symptoms of arrhythmias include:

• Fast or slow heart beat
• Skipping beats
• Lightheadedness or dizziness
• Chest pain
• Shortness of breath
• Sweating

Your doctor can run tests to find out if you have an arrhythmia. Treatment to restore a normal heart rhythm may include medicines, an implantable cardioverter-defibrillator (ICD) or pacemaker, or sometimes surgery.

NIH: National Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute

Start Here

• About Arrhythmia (American Heart Association)
• Arrhythmia (American Academy of Family Physicians) Also in Spanish
• Categories of Arrhythmias (Texas Heart Institute) Also in Spanish
• What Is an Arrhythmia? (National Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute) Also in Spanish

Diagnosis and Tests

• Common Tests for Arrhythmia (American Heart Association)
• Electrophysiology Studies (EPS) (American Heart Association)
• Heart Health Tests: MedlinePlus Health Topic (National Library of Medicine) Also in Spanish
• Heart Tests (National Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute) Also in Spanish
• Skipped Beats (Heart Rhythm Society)
• Slow Heartbeat (Heart Rhythm Society)
• Syncope (National Institute of Neurological Disorders and Stroke)
• Tilt Table Test (Mayo Foundation for Medical Education and Research) Also in Spanish

Prevention and Risk Factors

• Early Warning Signs and Risk Factors for Arrhythmias and Heart Disease (Heart Rhythm Society)
• Understand Your Risk for Arrhythmia (American Heart Association)

Treatments and Therapies

• Antiarrhythmics (Texas Heart Institute) Also in Spanish
• Heart Treatments (National Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute) Also in Spanish
• Medications for Arrhythmia (American Heart Association)
• Pacemakers and Implantable Defibrillators: MedlinePlus Health Topic (National Library of Medicine) Also in Spanish
• Prevention and Treatment of Arrhythmia (American Heart Association)
• What Are Defibrillators? (National Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute) Also in Spanish

Related Issues

• AED (Automated External Defibrillator) Programs: Questions and Answers (American Heart Association) - PDF
• All about Heart Rate (Pulse) (American Heart Association)
• Automated External Defibrillators: Do You Need an AED? (Mayo Foundation for Medical Education and Research) Also in Spanish
• Substances and Heart Rhythm Disorders (Heart Rhythm Society)
• Sudden Death in Young People: Heart Problems Often Blamed (Mayo Foundation for Medical Education and Research) Also in Spanish

Specifics

• Arrhythmogenic Right Ventricular Cardiomyopathy (ARVC) (American Academy of Family Physicians) Also in Spanish
• Atrial Flutter (AFL) (Heart Rhythm Society)
• Bradycardia (Mayo Foundation for Medical Education and Research) Also in Spanish
• Brugada Syndrome (Mayo Foundation for Medical Education and Research) Also in Spanish
• Bundle Branch Block (Mayo Foundation for Medical Education and Research)
• Cardiac Arrest: MedlinePlus Health Topic (National Library of Medicine) Also in Spanish
• Conduction Disorders (National Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute) Also in Spanish
• Heart Rhythm Disorders (Heart Rhythm Society)
• Long QT Syndrome (National Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute)
• Other Heart Rhythm Disorders (American Heart Association)
• Postural Tachycardia Syndrome (POTS) (National Institute of Neurological Disorders and Stroke)
• Premature Contractions -- PACs and PVCs (American Heart Association)
• Premature Ventricular Contractions (PVCs) (Mayo Foundation for Medical Education and Research) Also in Spanish
• Recognizing POTS: Learn to Spot This Mysterious Condition (National Institutes of Health) Also in Spanish
• Sick Sinus Syndrome (Mayo Foundation for Medical Education and Research) Also in Spanish
• Tachycardia (Mayo Foundation for Medical Education and Research) Also in Spanish
• Tachycardia: Fast Heart Rate (American Heart Association)
• Ventricular Fibrillation (Mayo Foundation for Medical Education and Research) Also in Spanish
• What Is Cardiac Arrest? (National Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute) Also in Spanish
• Wolff-Parkinson-White Syndrome (National Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute)
• Wolff-Parkinson-White Syndrome and Accessory Pathways (American Heart Association)

Genetics

• Andersen-Tawil syndrome: MedlinePlus Genetics (National Library of Medicine)
• Ankyrin-B syndrome: MedlinePlus Genetics (National Library of Medicine)
• Brugada syndrome: MedlinePlus Genetics (National Library of Medicine)
• Catecholaminergic polymorphic ventricular tachycardia: MedlinePlus Genetics (National Library of Medicine)
• Jervell and Lange-Nielsen syndrome: MedlinePlus Genetics (National Library of Medicine)
• Progressive familial heart block: MedlinePlus Genetics (National Library of Medicine)
• Romano-Ward syndrome: MedlinePlus Genetics (National Library of Medicine)
• Short QT syndrome: MedlinePlus Genetics (National Library of Medicine)
• Sick sinus syndrome: MedlinePlus Genetics (National Library of Medicine)
• Timothy syndrome: MedlinePlus Genetics (National Library of Medicine)
• Wolff-Parkinson-White syndrome: MedlinePlus Genetics (National Library of Medicine)

Videos and Tutorials

• Arrhythmias (Medical Encyclopedia) Also in Spanish
• Cardiac conduction system (Medical Encyclopedia) Also in Spanish
• Heartbeat (Medical Encyclopedia) Also in Spanish

Test Your Knowledge

• Heart Palpitations Quiz (Medical Encyclopedia) Also in Spanish

Clinical Trials

• ClinicalTrials.gov: Arrhythmias, Cardiac (National Institutes of Health)
• ClinicalTrials.gov: Bradycardia (National Institutes of Health)
• ClinicalTrials.gov: Tachycardia (National Institutes of Health)
• ClinicalTrials.gov: Tachycardia, Ectopic Atrial (National Institutes of Health)

Journal Articles References and abstracts from MEDLINE/PubMed (National Library of Medicine)

• Article: Sex hormones and reproductive factors with cardiac arrhythmia and ECG indices:...
• Article: Salbutamol attenuates arrhythmogenic effect of aminophylline in a hPSC-derived cardiac model.
• Article: Individual heart failure patient variability in nocturnal hypoxia and arrhythmias.
• Arrhythmia -- see more articles

Reference Desk

• Heart Anatomy (Texas Heart Institute) Also in Spanish
• Heart Information Center (Texas Heart Institute) Also in Spanish
• How the Heart Works (National Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute) Also in Spanish

Find an Expert

• American Heart Association
• Find a Heart Rhythm Specialist (Heart Rhythm Society)
• Heart Rhythm Society
• National Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute

Children

• Arrhythmia (Abnormal Heartbeat) (Nemours Foundation) Also in Spanish
• Heart Palpitations (For Parents) (Nemours Foundation)
• Treating Arrhythmias in Children (American Heart Association)

Patient Handouts

• Arrhythmias (Medical Encyclopedia) Also in Spanish
• Atrial fibrillation and atrial flutter (Medical Encyclopedia) Also in Spanish
• Cardiac ablation procedures (Medical Encyclopedia) Also in Spanish
• Ectopic heartbeat (Medical Encyclopedia) Also in Spanish
• Electrocardiogram (Medical Encyclopedia) Also in Spanish
• Exercise stress test (Medical Encyclopedia) Also in Spanish
• Heart palpitations (Medical Encyclopedia) Also in Spanish
• Holter monitor (24h) (Medical Encyclopedia) Also in Spanish
• Paroxysmal supraventricular tachycardia (PSVT) (Medical Encyclopedia) Also in Spanish
• Ventricular tachycardia (Medical Encyclopedia) Also in Spanish
• Wolff-Parkinson-White syndrome (WPW) (Medical Encyclopedia) Also in Spanish