The normal heart rate will fall between 60-100 beats/minute in an adult. However, there are also cases where the heart rate is slower or faster than average. As people age, their heart rate changes in both frequency and regularity, which is a sign of declining health.
The reason why the heart beats fast
Tachycardia is when the heart rate is 100 beats/min or more while at rest. There are many causes of heart beating faster than normal such as exercise, drinking caffeinated beverages, stress, anxiety, high fever, hyperthyroidism, increased metabolism, etc.
The reason why the heartbeats slow
It is called bradycardia if at rest the heart rate is below 60 beats/min (<60 BPM). However, when you exercise regularly, the heart muscle will be stronger, even if the heart rate decreases, it still ensures enough blood to feed the body. Therefore, an athlete’s resting heart rate <40 beats/min is normal, while in other sports it is abnormal.
Arrhythmia
Arrhythmia is characterized by an irregular heartbeat, too fast (> 100 beats / min) or too slow (< 60 beats / min), sometimes fast and sometimes slow, more common in men than in men. with women (70% versus 30%).
When the heart’s electrical impulses aren’t working properly, evaluation is based on three factors: frequency, location of the ventricles or atria, and how often, it’s called an arrhythmia.
Common types of arrhythmias:
- Tachycardia
- Bradycardia
- Sometimes it’s fast, sometimes it’s slow
- Complete arrhythmia: atrial fibrillation.
There are many causes of arrhythmia such as:
- Psychological disorders, stress, exertion, stimulant use …
- Cardiovascular diseases: ischemic heart disease, heart valve disease, congenital heart disease…
- High blood pressure, dyslipidemia, diabetes, metabolic disorders, electrolyte disorders, drugs…
Cardiac arrhythmia can be a manifestation of many serious and life-threatening diseases if not treated promptly. Some types of arrhythmia to watch out for:
- Atrial fibrillation
- Ventricular tachycardia
- Ventricular fibrillation
- Heart failure
Stroke: A blood clot in a blood vessel travels to the site of a blockage or rupture of a brain artery, known as a stroke. Some other complications may be encountered such as sudden cardiac arrest, myocardial infarction …
Sudden cardiac arrest: The heart stops working without warning, immediately stopping the blood supply to the brain and other organs in the body, the person can collapse and:
- Fainting
- Not responding to verbal or painful stimuli
- Stopping or abnormal breathing – yawn breathing.
The damage caused by a sudden cardiac arrest can be directly related to cerebral ischemia as well as to the organs, the severity depends on the duration of the ischemia long or short. In addition, functional impairment also comes from the consequences of the physical trauma caused by a fall down. If not detected and treated promptly, the patient can be in danger of life.
Some conditions that cause sudden cardiac arrest include:
- Coronary artery disease
- Cardiomyopathy
- Heart valve disease
- Congenital heart disease
- Acute myocarditis is caused by bacteria, viruses, bacterial toxins, drugs, toxins…
Other causes of cardiac arrest:
- Shockwave
- Drug overdose, drug poisoning, food poisoning…
- Heavy bleeding: loss of blood leads to hypovolemic shock.
- Hypoxia – occurs when there is a severe reduction in oxygen levels in the body.
People with sudden cardiac arrest need immediate medical support, while waiting for medical staff, family members can give the patient 1 tablet of Aspirin 80mg, a spray to dilate the coronary arteries (spray 1 – 2 strokes under the tongue). Therefore, early detection of loved ones with “sudden cardiac arrest” expression is extremely necessary and extremely important for timely intervention and treatment, to preserve the patient’s life and avoid sudden death.