Herzwochen When the heart does not beat in time

Awareness campaign informs about cardiac arrhythmias

05/11/2014

The theme of "cardiac arrhythmia" is at the heart of the Herzwochen this year. As part of the German Heart Foundation's awareness-raising campaign, numerous events will take place nationwide until the end of the month.

400,000 patients each year
"Out of tune: cardiac arrhythmia": Under this motto, the German Heart Foundation will be providing information on the diagnosis and treatment of widespread disease by 30 November. Nationwide, more than 1,200 events are taking place during the Herzwochen. According to the foundation, more than 400,000 patients are admitted to a clinic every year for arrhythmia. "In the most common heart rhythm disorder atrial fibrillation suffer in Germany about 1.8 million people," write the experts in a press release. The symptoms include shortness of breath, rising heat in the head, palpitations, a feeling of pressure in the chest and an uncontrolled palpitation in the atria.

Harmless or life threatening?
There is often great uncertainty as to whether cardiac arrhythmias are harmless or life threatening and how their symptoms can be alleviated or eliminated. The information campaign should help to inform about today's possibilities of diagnosis and therapy as well as their benefits and risks. Basically, irregularities in the heartbeat can be completely normal and occur at any time in life. "If cardiac arrhythmias are harmless or life-threatening, only a cardiologist can decide after a detailed examination of the patient," explained Prof. Dr. med. med. Thomas Meinertz, Chairman of the Board of the German Heart Foundation and Cardiologist at the Klinikum Stephansplatz in Hamburg in the press release.

Consequence of heart diseases
"The transition between normal and morbid is fluid. Pathological does not always mean dangerous. Rarely, cardiac arrhythmias are precursors of impending sudden cardiac death. Often, cardiac arrhythmias are based on heart disease. Recognizing it with the specialist and treating it consistently is crucial. "If they are not congenital, cardiac arrhythmias are usually not a disease of their own but usually the result of heart disease. In particular, high blood pressure, which is present in about 70 percent of patients with atrial fibrillation, and coronary heart disease (CHD) can be mentioned here. And also diseases such as hyperthyroidism, diabetes or chronic lung diseases are according to the experts to an increased extent associated with atrial fibrillation.

30,000 strokes due to atrial fibrillation
"Critical to the success of therapy is the targeted treatment of the underlying disease as the actual cause of the arrhythmia." In addition, factors such as the composition of the blood salts (electrolytes) by potassium and magnesium deficiency, certain pleasure poisons (larger amounts of alcohol, coffee, nicotine), Enjoy luscious meals, lack of sleep and stress. Because atrial fibrillation occurs without discomfort in half of all patients, it often goes unnoticed. "Left untreated, these people are vulnerable to stroke because they are not protected by anticoagulant drugs," says Prof. Meinertz. Atrial fibrillation causes around 30,000 strokes every year. Experts are advised to have a blood pressure monitor at home that can detect irregular heartbeat when blood pressure is being measured. If in doubt, patients should have their heart rhythm checked by ECG.

Advances in treatment options
Therapy has made great progress in recent years. Discomforts such as palpitations, heart-stomping, shortness of breath, pressure in the chest and dizziness are often good to treat with medication. To prevent strokes in atrial fibrillation, various anticoagulants are used. Psycho-cardiology is playing an increasingly important role in the treatment of patients with cardiac arrhythmias. For example, as stress and mental stress can trigger or exacerbate cardiac arrhythmias, psycho-cardiologists may find it important for patients to suffer from depression and anxiety because they fear the shock of their implanted defibrillator or its failure. (Ad)