What Causes Cardiac Arrhythmia?

Cardiac arrhythmia, also known as dysrhythmia, is a medical condition which is characterized by irregular beating of the heart or complete skipping of a heart beat. Most cases of cardiac arrhythmia are generally pretty mild, and do not lead to any further medical risks, however in certain severe cases cardiac arrhythmia might be life threatening and can even lead to the death of the individual. There are various factors that can often lead to the development of cardiac arrhythmia in individuals.

Heart Disorders

Various heart disorders such as heart attacks, strokes, congestive heart disease, among others are often considered to be one of the prime factors that lead to the development of cardiac arrhythmia in individuals. These medical conditions inhibit the heart from functioning normally, and severely reduce the pumping effect of the heart, as a result there is reduction in the oxygen and blood supply inside the body of the individual, hence increasing the chances of developing cardiac arrhythmia.

Drugs and Medications

Certain diet control pills such as adipex, phentermine among others are considered to be major factors that lead to the development of cardiac arrhythmia in individuals. These pills when taken in excess or over a long period of time impair the conduction of impulse from the brain to the heart of the individual, hence causing abnormal beating of the heart or cardiac arrhythmia.

Shock and Increased Levels of Insulin

According to Dr. Elmer author of the book Bypassing bypass (published in 2002), shock is also one of the major factors that causes cardiac arrhythmia in individuals. In a state of shock, the brain stimulates the adrenal gland to produce adrenaline which in turn increases the heart rate depending on the situation. It has also been found that increased levels of insulin in the body also stimulates the adrenal gland to produce adrenaline thus causing cardiac arrhythmia, however the exact mechanism for this reaction is not clear yet.

Caffeine

Caffeine is also one of the prime risk factors that leads to the development of cardiac arrhythmia or irregular heartbeat in individuals. It has been found that caffeine often leads to a condition known as premature beats or flip-flops which is a very benign form of cardiac arrhythmia wherein the heart beats prematurely or skips a beat completely sometimes.

Other Common Factors

Various other common factors such as alcoholism, malnutrition, blood clots, excessive exercising and change in the structure of the heart muscles are also some of the causes that lead to cardiac arrhythmia in individuals.