Dysrhythmia vs Arrhythmia: Symptoms And Causes Explored!

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Dysrhythmia and arrhythmia are synonymous and mean that the heart’s rhythm is abnormal. The only difference is that the word arrhythmia literally means “bad rhythm”, whereas arrhythmia means “no rhythm. Dysrhythmia and arrhythmia mean that the heart doesn’t beat in a regular rhythm or beat at an irregular rate. This can be caused by changes in the electrical signals that control the heart, or by changes in heart tissue.

What Is The Difference Between Dysrhythmia And Arrhythmia?

Dysrhythmia and arrhythmia refer to the same problem. That is when the heart does not beat in a regular rhythm or beat at an irregular frequency. The terms dysrhythmia and arrhythmia differ primarily in linguistic meaning. “Dys” is a Greek prefix meaning bad, sick, serious, or difficult. “A” is also a Greek prefix usually meaning “not” or “without”. So dysrhythmia basically means “ bad rhythm” and arrhythmia basically means “no rhythm”. 

Physicians and researchers typically use these words interchangeably because they usually refer to the same topic.

Normal Heart Rate

Meaning normal heart rate or rhythm that occurs when the heart rate is not within the normal BPM range. This heart rate can be 50 to 100 beats per minute faster or slower than your average resting heart rate.

According to research reports, the type of dysrhythmia and the arrhythmia that a person suffers from can depend on several aspects including:

  • Occurrence location: Refers to the location where the abnormality occurs. Supraventricular, ventricular, or atrioventricular.
  • Frequency of the disorder: Doctors may refer to this as tachycardia or bradycardia.
  • ECG display: Refers to how your heart rate is displayed during the test.

How Does It Caused?

The main cause of arrhythmia is changes in the electrical signals that control the heart, or changes in the heart tissues. The most common direct causes are damage caused by disease, genetics, or injury.

Types of cardiac arrhythmia:

Different types of arrhythmia can affect a person’s heart. The four most common types are:

  • Bradyarrhythmia or bradycardia: This type occurs when the heart rate is lower than average. The exact definition differs for speeds below 60 BPM and speeds below 50 BPM.
  • Premature or excessive heartbeats: If you have premature or excessive heartbeats, your heart may feel like it’s skipping beats because the heartbeat signal is arriving faster than normal. In this case, there may be a short pause followed by a louder bang.
  • Supraventricular arrhythmia: This type begins in the upper or lower chambers of the heart. These abnormalities often cause the heart to beat more than 100 beats per minute at rest. medically, this type is called tachycardia. 

The following subtypes are possible:

  • Atrial flutter: In this type of arrhythmia, the heart beats about 250 to 350 beats per minute, with the upper atria beating more frequently than the lower atria.
  • Paroxysmal supraventricular tachycardia: This type of arrhythmia occurs most often during exercise in young, healthy people and occurs when the heart beats rapidly as signals travel within the heart chamber.
  • Atrial fibrillation: This is the most common subtype, the heart beats about 400 beats per minute. 

Ventricular arrhythmia: Ventricular arrhythmia begins in the lower chamber of the heart ventricle, they can be life-threatening.

Subtypes of ventricular arrhythmia include:

  • Ventricular tachycardia: This is a rapid, irregular heartbeat of more than 100 beats per minute.
  • Ventricular fibrillation: This ventricular arrhythmia causes trembling of the ventricles. This means the heart is no longer able to pump blood properly, leaving the brain and body starved of oxygen.

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Torsades de pointes: Heart rate increases and the flow of oxygen-rich blood is restricted. This can develop in people with long QT syndrome, a congenital heart disease that affects the heart’s rhythm and causes fainting.

Conclusion

In summary, dysrhythmia and arrhythmia are two words that doctors use to describe heart rate and changes in heart rate. In this condition, the heart may beat too fast or too slowly. Some people may not experience any symptoms while suffering from this condition, while others may notice symptoms such as fatigue or fainting,

In most cases, doctors rarely treat arrhythmia unless an underlying medical condition may be the cause. You can change your behavior to better control your heart rate, such as regular exercise, eating a nutritious diet that is devoid of much fat, and regular medical check-ups.

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Dr. David G Kiely is a distinguished Medical Reviewer and former General Medicine Consultant with a wealth of experience in the field. Dr. Kiely's notable career as a General Medicine Consultant highlights his significant contributions to the medical field.

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