Cardiology When will heart racing become a mortal danger?

Harmless and dangerous heart rate difficult to distinguish

A first date or the excitement before a job interview: Hearts are known to all people. We also have a quick heartbeat when we climb stairs, have sex or do sports. But a tachycardia, as physicians call a pulse rate that exceeds 100 beats per minute, can also be pathological. The German Heart Foundation therefore clarifies so that lay people know when it is better to go to the doctor to get to the root of the cause.

If the heart beats faster, according to the German Heart Foundation usually excitement or physical exertion are the cause. However, should the heart suddenly start to rage for no apparent reason, a doctor's visit is urgently required. In addition, help the checklist of the Heart Foundation in the search for the cause.

Tachycardia can occur quite suddenly and may be accompanied by dizziness or even a brief loss of consciousness. (Image: staras / fotolia.com)

Atrial fibrillation is often the cause of tachycardia

Sudden tachycardia is very unpleasant for those affected and is often accompanied by dizziness, shortness of breath or feelings of anxiety, reports the German Heart Foundation. Such seizures should always be clarified by a doctor, because dangerous heart disease could be behind it. For example, in atrial fibrillation, the heart rates reach over 140 beats per minute.

"Although this most common form of cardiac arrhythmia is not acutely dangerous, (...) blood clots can form in the atria, which can then trigger a stroke," reports the German Heart Foundation. Atrial fibrillation affects around 1.8 million people in Germany.

Read about:

- fibrillation
- Tachycardia in the night
- Heart disease in the overview
- Herzstolpern

There is not always cause for concern

Basically, not every heart attack is dangerous. In seizures that start suddenly, without any reason and can be stopped by maneuvers such as drinking a glass of water, "the chances are good that it is benign chasing heart", so the announcement of the German Heart Foundation. Although this form of cardiac arrhythmia can be very stressful for those affected, but in most cases, they can be cured.

Consultation by a cardiologist advised

According to the German Heart Foundation, people with cardiac arrhythmias often react with great uncertainty to their symptoms. Whether they are harmless or dangerous and how they can be treated is difficult for them to assess. "Whether cardiac arrhythmias are harmless, less harmless or life-threatening, only a cardiologist can decide after a detailed examination of the patient," emphasizes the cardiologist Professor Dr. med. med. Thomas Meinertz, Chairman of the Board of the German Heart Foundation. Patients who experience seizures from palpitations out of nowhere should therefore seek urgent medical attention. (sb, fp)