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My doctor told me caffeine can cause heart arrhythmia, which sounds bad. Why is this bad? Does my body really need to keep a steady beat? Being white, I would assume my body is used to having no real rhythm.
Thanks for the answer.Moonbear said:The problem with an arrhythmia is that the heart isn't beating efficiently, because the different chambers are out of synch with one another. So, for each beat of the heart, less blood is being circulated than should be.
Yes, most arrythmias cause problems due to decreased or total lack of cardiac output (ventricular fibrillation is an example of the latter.) However, another arythmia presents a risk for embolic strokes...Atrail fibrillation many times is unnoticed by the person (except for presistent fast heart rate but if your av node is slow, you won't even notice that.) The problem with atrial fibrillation is not so much the decreased cardiac output (because of lack of syncronicity between the atria and ventricle.) but the potential for the fibrillating atria (looks like a twitching bag of worms) to form blood clots and then the clots shoot up the carotid arteries and into your brain, causing a stroke. That's why most of them take blood thinners as well as medicines to deal with the actual arrythmia itself.Moonbear said:The problem with an arrhythmia is that the heart isn't beating efficiently, because the different chambers are out of synch with one another. So, for each beat of the heart, less blood is being circulated than should be.
ShawnD said:Thanks for the answer.
That's an interesting story, Monique. Maybe this caffeine arrythmia thing is more common than I thought.
shruth said:I am a physician and have practised in India where people drink coffee like water...but have never come across a case of caffine induced arrythmia! Maybe it more common here, in the US. Can adrenaline throw more light on this?
shruth said:Of course, I knew about the propensity of some xanthines to cause arrythmia. I remember a friend telling me about it while he was on night call. He administered aminophylline to a patient with status asthamaticus (yeah...we still use it in India for reasons that aren't exactly medical ) and the patient developed an arrythmia (can't remember which). But I hadn't known that caffine could also be a culprit. Thanks for the info adr.
Monique said:A friend of mine has an inhaler to counteract allergic reaction against pets, I always thought it was an anti-histamine inhaler, but she said those don't exist and that the inhaler is a muscle relaxer (which I found strange).
Stranger is that she never uses the inhaler even when she gets out of breath and starts wheezing because it induces arrythmias, from your descriptions I would suspect it contains methylxanthines? (and she once commented that it is actually an inhaler for the elderly, since the dose is low). I wonder whether I should I advice to look into other inhaler types?
Arrhythmia is considered bad because it disrupts the normal rhythm of the heart, causing it to beat too fast, too slow, or irregularly. This can lead to a decrease in blood flow and oxygen to the body's organs, which can be life-threatening.
If left untreated, arrhythmia can lead to serious health complications such as stroke, heart failure, and sudden cardiac arrest. It can also increase the risk of developing blood clots, which can travel to other parts of the body and cause further damage.
In some cases, arrhythmia can be cured through medication, lifestyle changes, or medical procedures such as catheter ablation or pacemaker implantation. However, some forms of arrhythmia cannot be cured and may require lifelong management.
The most common risk factors for developing arrhythmia include advanced age, family history, high blood pressure, diabetes, and heart disease. Lifestyle factors such as smoking, excessive alcohol consumption, and drug use can also increase the risk.
To prevent arrhythmia, it is important to maintain a healthy lifestyle by exercising regularly, eating a balanced diet, and avoiding smoking and excessive alcohol consumption. It is also important to manage any underlying health conditions, such as high blood pressure or diabetes, that may contribute to the development of arrhythmia.