Heart beating too fast?

Written by: Dr Syed Ahsan
Published:
Edited by: Lisa Heffernan

Most of the causes of a fast heart rate are easy to treat and are rarely life-threatening, but diagnosis can sometimes be difficult. Dr Syed Ahsan talks about when we should seek medical attention for a racing heart, and when a fast heartbeat is merely down to activity, stress or anxiety. 

A fast heart rate (over 100bpm in adults) is a normal response if your body is active or under stress.  However, you should seek immediate medical help if you have symptoms such as dizziness, feeling faint, shortness of breath or chest pain, or if your heart rate hasn’t gone down after 20-30 minutes - this could indicate a heart rhythm disorder such as supraventricular tachycardia. Even without these symptoms, if your heart rate is fast despite being at rest, it’s important to see a doctor for advice.

More on supraventricular tachycardia

What are the most common causes of a racing heart? 

Diagnosing the cause of a rapid heartbeat can be quite difficult. On the one hand, a hormonal imbalance such as an overactive thyroid can be diagnosed with blood and thyroid function tests. In contrast, there are many heart rhythm disorders which share similar symptoms with panic attacks, so close cardiac monitoring is needed to find out exactly when symptoms are occurring. If no irregularity is found in the clinic or hospital, the doctor may recommend monitoring for a few days or a week. Some patients have such intermittent symptoms that they need to wear an implantable loop recorder, a tiny device which can monitor your heart for up to three years.

Getting the right diagnosis is the key to effective treatment – that’s why specialist advice is so important. If at rest, your heart is racing for no apparent reason, visit your doctor and seek immediate medical attention if you experience breathlessness and/or chest pain. For more information on heart rhythm disorders visit Dr Syed Ahsan

 

Profile Dr Syed Ahsan

By Dr Syed Ahsan
Cardiology

Dr Syed Ahsan is a leading consultant cardiologist based in London who has been nominated for and won many awards in his field. Having trained in various prestigious centres in London, Dr Ahsan is highly experienced in all areas of cardiology with a specialist interest in heart rhythm disorders (arrhythmias). He also sees patients with palpitations, chest pains, shortness of breath and high blood pressure.

Dr Ahsan graduated from Guys Kings and St Thomas’ Medical School in 2000 and undertook cardiology specialist training at prestigious hospitals in London, working with world-renowned experts. His post-graduate medical doctorate was awarded from University College London and has produced pioneering work that was also awarded by the Royal Society of Medicine National Prize in 2009. This was then presented internationally across Europe and the USA.

His NHS practice is based at Barts Heart Centre, one of the largest cardiac units in Europe, where Dr Ahsan is one of the lead clinicians for atrial fibrillation (AF). He performs catheter ablation procedures for AF and other heart rhythm disorders and is an expert in implanting all kinds of cardiac devices such as pacemakers, defibrillators and resynchronisation devices. In addition, he is an honorary consultant at North Middlesex University Hospital where he also established the first cardiac ablation service in North London.

Dr Ahsan is known for his patient-centred approach, ensuring that his patients are always fully aware and comfortable with the consultation and treatment process. From his clinics across London, Dr Ahsan offers treatment for all aspects of adult cardiology and heart rhythm disorders.

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