Many men and women experience extra heart beats, and usually the reason is “ventricular premature depolarizations.” However these are really common, and are early heart beats originating in the principal pumping chambers of the heart – the ventricles. They are really sometimes known as PVCs or premature ventricular contractions. Ventricular bigeminy is a variation of this, where every other beat is a premature “abnormal” beat. This is very common, and when it happens in the absence of heart disease, is a benign issue. It’s very common for this to disappear at high levels of exercise, a phenomenon known as “overdrive suppression.” The most important aspects of evaluating patients with extra heart beats are selecting whether it is associated with heart disease or a structurally normal heart. If your heart is normal, its considered a benign condition – one that is not likely to cause any long term serious consequences like high blood pressure
. The decision to treat a patient when the heart is truly normal is solely based on the presence of symptoms. If you have no confining or bothersome symptoms, no therapy is required – other avoidance of external stimulants such as caffeine, chocolate, over the counter cold medicines containing pseudoephedrine, tobacco, and avoiding sleep deprivation. Daily exercise often helps. You ought to be evaluated by a physician.
But its better to know the warning signs of a heart attack:
A heart attack occurs when blood flow to part of the heart is severely reduced or stopped, usually caused by the buildup of plaque (deposits of fat-like substances) in the coronary arteries. The plaque can eventually burst, tear or rupture, creating a “snag” where a blood clot forms and blocks the artery. This leads to a heart attack.
If you or a loved one is experiencing any of the following symptoms, don’t hesitate. Seek medical attention or call 9-1-1 immediately. Get to a hospital right away, but don’t drive yourself, unless you have absolutely no other option.
Symptoms include:
Uncomfortable pressure or squeezing in chest
Fullness or pain in the center of your chest. It lasts more than a few minutes, or goes away and comes back.
Pain or discomfort in one or both arms, your back, neck, jaw or stomach.
Shortness of breath along with chest discomfort or before the chest discomfort.
Cold sweats
Nausea or lightheadedness
It is never too soon to start heart disease prevention. Believe it or not, we know that in some persons, heart disease can start as early as their teens. We now have tests to look for early heart disease including blood work which can detect cholesterol levels and other markers of heart disease as well as electron beam cat scans which look for cholesterol plaques at a very early stage.
Unfortunately, more information is needed to answer your question. It really depends on how you feel and whether or not your exam has changed.
