For years I, a woman of 67, suffered from palpitations. It can’t hurt, I’m assured. But it is getting worse: sometimes six times a minute, sometimes fifteen times in half an hour, sometimes I have no problems for a week and then suddenly twenty times an hour. My doctor gave me a holterphone, with which I can make a heart film during an arrhythmia. The recordings are ‘not disturbing’, but I’m still worried. I live healthy and active and there are no heart diseases in my family. Can you tell me what I can do?
Joris Bartstra, journalist with medical diploma
As far as I can judge, they seem to be so-called extrasystoles (the heart skips once and then has to get rid of an extra large splash of blood), alternating with seizures (= not persistent) atrial fibrillation. Both are indeed harmless. The problem with correcting arrhythmias is that it involves agents that affect the heart rhythm and that sometimes cannot cause harmless arrhythmias. I think you will have to accept that your arrhythmias are indeed not dangerous. The cardiac arrhythmias you have are usually not caused by high bloodpressure, cholesterol or diabetes nor do they increase the risk of a heart attack. And unfortunately, you can actually do nothing yourself to reduce the arrhythmias.
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