Irregular Heartbeat
When high blood pressure is unmanaged, it can cause atrial fibrillation or irregular heartbeat. This health condition requires immediate medical attention as it could cause heart blood clots. Meanwhile, a rapid, irregular heartbeat is called arrhythmia, similar to a “fluttering” heart or skipping heartbeat.
It might appear to be beating either too slowly or too quickly, a condition known respectively, as tachycardia or bradycardia. Or perhaps a person with this condition might not feel anything.
Arrhythmias may indicate a severe situation, or they may be minor. When anything unusual in a person’s heartbeat occurs, seek medical attention immediately.
An irregular heartbeat can occur occasionally, be persistent, permanent, or long-standing persistent. When it’s occasional, the symptoms may arise and then vanish suddenly; they usually last from a few minutes to many hours and could disappear without treatment. However, if it’s persistent, the heartbeat doesn’t automatically return to normal and usually requires medications.
People with long-standing persistent atrial fibrillation suffer from its symptoms for more than a year. Those who experience permanent atrial fibrillation can no longer restore their heart rhythm. What they can only do is prevent blood clots and manage the heart rate through medications.
