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Sudden Increase In Heartrate. Shortness Of Breath, Dizziness, Lightheadedness, Tiredness, Numbness, Tingling. Suggestions?
Hi I m a 19 year old female for the past two months now I ve been suffering with sudden fast heart rate . I can be in the shower, say down, laid down or walking around and all of a sudden my heart will begin to race really fast. I also get shortness of breath. I often get dizzy spells or light headedness as well. I m tired constantly. Sometimes when I m experiencing fast heart rate my body will go numb and tingley and I feel as if I m going to have a heart attack ... I ve been to my doctor and he said its stress .
Fri, 8 Mar 2013
Hi,
Thank you for the query.
It is possible that you may be having an abnormal rapid rhythm of the heart (tachycardia). Sometimes, a normal increase in the heart rate due to physiological reasons also can happen. Stress/anxiety/fear etc can also lead to palpitations. It is also important to consider certain other conditions where there may be increased heart rate with increased blood pressure due to over secretion of some hormones (eg: pheochromocytoma).
You need to document your pulse rate during this episode. If it is more than 100/minute and less than 150/minute, it may be a normal increase due to physiological reasons or stress/anxiety or even a panic attack. If the heart rate is very high (180 - 200/minute or above), it is likely to be abnormal and needs further evaluation.
If it is possible to take an ECG during the episode, it would readily point to the diagnosis. If the episodes are very short-lived but occur daily, you can get a 24 hour Holter monitoring done to achieve a diagnosis.
I hope this answers your query.
With regards,
DR RS VARMA
Consultant Interventional Cardiologist
Thank you for the query.
It is possible that you may be having an abnormal rapid rhythm of the heart (tachycardia). Sometimes, a normal increase in the heart rate due to physiological reasons also can happen. Stress/anxiety/fear etc can also lead to palpitations. It is also important to consider certain other conditions where there may be increased heart rate with increased blood pressure due to over secretion of some hormones (eg: pheochromocytoma).
You need to document your pulse rate during this episode. If it is more than 100/minute and less than 150/minute, it may be a normal increase due to physiological reasons or stress/anxiety or even a panic attack. If the heart rate is very high (180 - 200/minute or above), it is likely to be abnormal and needs further evaluation.
If it is possible to take an ECG during the episode, it would readily point to the diagnosis. If the episodes are very short-lived but occur daily, you can get a 24 hour Holter monitoring done to achieve a diagnosis.
I hope this answers your query.
With regards,
DR RS VARMA
Consultant Interventional Cardiologist
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