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Does Anxiety Causes Ectopic Heart Beats?

Posted on Mon, 15 Jun 2015

Question: Doctor I have a quick question. I know that with anxiety blood pressure rises. Does this cause etopic beats or is it the anxiety itself. Also I have heard that high blood pressure is usually silent. Are there any symptoms from high blood pressure or are they rare. Usually when I get checked at my Gp my blood pressure is 135/85 when I get bad anxiety it goes as high as 175/100 or a little more but goes back down soon after. I was just wondering if high blood pressure causes the symptoms of etopic beats or the bradycardia and tachycardia? Or is that just the anxiety

I had all cardiac tests done 4 months ago. Passed 2 stress tests. Echo showed structurally normal heart and 48 hour holter showed 400 pacs and 15 pvc which my cardiologist insists are from my anxiety

Answered by Dr. Sukhvinder Singh (25 minutes later)

Brief Answer:
please see details

Detailed Answer:
Dear sir
1. Anxiety can raise your blood pressure and can cause ectopics too.
2. Symptoms due to high blood pressure are rare but can happen at very high levels say > 210/120 mmHg which may be headache, shortness of breath, blurred vision, palpitation etc.
3. Acutely high blood pressure may cause heart rate to lower but not higher.
sincerely
Sukhvinder

Above answer was peer-reviewed by : Dr. Chakravarthy Mazumdar

Follow up: Dr. Sukhvinder Singh (7 minutes later)

Hi doctor thank you for your reply so in my case when blood pressure goes up with anxiety is that dangerous? I'm sorry to bother you but I'm just not sure what I'm experiencing. My cardiologist insists I'm healthy but does not give an explanation and that is difficult for me especially with the anxiety. I would like your input . Also are the palpitations or etopic beats and slightly bradycardia dangerous?

Answered by Dr. Sukhvinder Singh (7 hours later)

Brief Answer:
please see details.

Detailed Answer:
Dear sir
1. Persistently high blood pressure, irrespective of its cause are bad for health. Transient occasional rise of BP with anxiety may not be that dangerous, however anxiety itself may cause bad effects on health by excessive surge of catecholemines.
2. Slight asymptomatic bradycardia is not proven to have any bad effect on heart / health. Ectopic beats , irrespective of their number, when occur in a structurally normal heart and do not cause any bothersome symptom , are not harmful.
3. Palpitation when due to ectopic beats but without any serious episode of rhythm disorder in a structurally normal heart is not life threatening and can be managed by single drug therapy like beta blockers.
Sincerely
Sukhvinder

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Above answer was peer-reviewed by : Dr. Chakravarthy Mazumdar