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EKG Finding Saying Sinus Arrhythmia. Echocardiogram Came Normal. Serious Problem?
Question: Hello, could you please tell me if I should be worried about an EKG finding saying sinus arrythmia. My doctor said it is nothing to worry about and the results said "ECG with no significant abnormalities XXXXXXX I get very nervous about my health and have pretty bad anxiety so I was just wondering. I also had a holter monitor and an echocardiogram done a year ago and they were normal as well. I got to looking at the echo results and it said mild mitral regurg and minimal tricuspid regurg. Also RVSP of 31 mmHG. Everything else said normal. Again, the doctor said it was all normal and the conclusions said "unremarkable echocardiogram XXXXXXX Can I be confident in these results that my heart is healthy? All of the doctors that I have been do think that my shortness of breath is due to anxiety. I have also suffered what I guess is panic attacks, but everytime they come on, I seem to think something is wrong with my heart. I just want some reassurance please. Thank you so much for your reply
Hello,
Thanks for posting your query.
Sinus Arrhythmia, or "regularly irregular" sinus rhythm, is a variation on sinus rhythm where the beat duration varies by more than 10%.
It can be naturally occurring due to no specific reason or due to respiration.
If there is no irregularity detected in the beat then there is nothing to worry. This is just a normal physiological variation.
You can get an anti anxiety drug prescribed from your physician with low day time sedation to improve your symptoms.
I hope this answers your query.
In case you have additional questions or doubts, you can forward them to me, and I shall be glad to help you out.
Please accept my answer in case you do not have further queries.
Wishing you good health.
Regards.
Dr. Praveen Tayal.
Thanks for posting your query.
Sinus Arrhythmia, or "regularly irregular" sinus rhythm, is a variation on sinus rhythm where the beat duration varies by more than 10%.
It can be naturally occurring due to no specific reason or due to respiration.
If there is no irregularity detected in the beat then there is nothing to worry. This is just a normal physiological variation.
You can get an anti anxiety drug prescribed from your physician with low day time sedation to improve your symptoms.
I hope this answers your query.
In case you have additional questions or doubts, you can forward them to me, and I shall be glad to help you out.
Please accept my answer in case you do not have further queries.
Wishing you good health.
Regards.
Dr. Praveen Tayal.
Above answer was peer-reviewed by :
Dr. Chakravarthy Mazumdar
Thank you so much Dr. Tayal for answering so quickly. My doctor has prescribed me Celexa and Xanax 0.5 mg for my anxiety. I am afraid to take the celexa as I have heard that it can make anxiety/panic worse. I take a quarter of the 0.5 Xanax when I feel my anxiety going way up or a panic attack coming on. Seems to help some, but not much. Just FYI, my symptoms include shortness of breath pretty much everyday, and racing heart and feeling lightheaded and my arms start tingling. This happens intermittently and seems to go away after no longer than an hour, sometimes sooner. Does this sound like anxiety to you? One last thing, can I also be confident that my echocardiogram results that I listed in my original post are normal as well as my doctor informed me they were. Thanks again for your help.
Hello.
Thanks for writing again.
You can rest assured that your ECG results are normal.
The symptoms that you have are likely to be due to anxiety.
To help this problem you can take a few measures-
1.Check your caffeine intake-Avoid drinking too much tea, coffee or cola.
2.Avoid alcohol and cigarette smoking.
3.Try physical exercise like aerobic exercises daily for twenty minutes.
4.Avoid your worries and problems or solve them with the help of your family and friends.
5. Learn controlled breathing.
6. Do simple relaxation exercises like yoga, meditation, etc.
You can also add a vitamin B complex supplement to your daily diet.
Hope my answer is helpful.
Do accept my answer in case there are no further queries.
Regards.
Thanks for writing again.
You can rest assured that your ECG results are normal.
The symptoms that you have are likely to be due to anxiety.
To help this problem you can take a few measures-
1.Check your caffeine intake-Avoid drinking too much tea, coffee or cola.
2.Avoid alcohol and cigarette smoking.
3.Try physical exercise like aerobic exercises daily for twenty minutes.
4.Avoid your worries and problems or solve them with the help of your family and friends.
5. Learn controlled breathing.
6. Do simple relaxation exercises like yoga, meditation, etc.
You can also add a vitamin B complex supplement to your daily diet.
Hope my answer is helpful.
Do accept my answer in case there are no further queries.
Regards.
Note: For further queries related to coronary artery disease and prevention, click here.
Above answer was peer-reviewed by :
Dr. Chakravarthy Mazumdar
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