This is one of the reasons why the elderly often require pacemakers.
Metabolic Disorders
Various immune system disorders such as kidney disease, diabetes, dehydration, and the like can cause heart arrhythmias. Since electrolytes help conduct the electrical impulses in the heart, having a deficit can affect your heart’s rhythm and can lead to arrhythmia development.
The more common type of metabolic disorders that cause heart arrhythmia are:
- Hypokalemia (low potassium levels)
- Hyperkalemia (high potassium levels)
- Hypomagnesemia (low magnesium levels)
- Hypocalcemia (low calcium levels)
- Acidosis (blood too acidic)
- Alkalosis (blood too alkaline)
Anesthesia
Another common cause of heart arrhythmia would be anesthesia. Patients who are placed under anesthesia may experience fluctuations in blood pressures, electrolyte and metabolic disorders, and cardiovascular damage.
Cardiac Trauma
People who experience cardiac trauma from chest wounds may experience muffled heart tones, murmurs, or arrhythmias.
Risk factors
In some instances, there are instances that may put you at a higher risk of developing cardiac arrhythmia.
- High blood pressure. Having high blood pressure increases your risk of developing coronary artery disease. This could then lead to a blockage in the electrical impulses in your heart and be a cause for heart arrhythmia to happen.
- Thyroid problems. A person that has an under-active or overactive thyroid gland may raise the risk of you developing arrhythmias. If the patient remains untreated, then it will persist.
- Diabetes. People who are diagnosed with diabetes are at a higher risk of developing arrhythmia, specifically atrial fibrillation.
- Obstructive sleep apnea. Sleep apnea is a disorder that disrupts the breathing function of a person when sleeping. It can therefore increase your risk of specific types of arrhythmia such as bradycardia, atrial fibrillation, and such.
- Obesity. Studies show that obesity is a cardiovascular risk and can cause heart arrhythmias such as atrial fibrillation and ventricular tachycardia.
Lifestyle Changes to Improve Your Heart Health
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