As American Heart Month comes to a close, SIH wants to shine the spotlight on heart rhythm disorders.
Dr. Fadi Abou Obeid, an electrophysiologist with SIH Prairie Heart Institute, says these occur when the electrical signals that tell the heart to beat don't work properly.
"Skipping beats, palpitations, irregular heartbeats."
He says symptoms may include anxiety, feeling very tired, lightheadedness or dizziness, sweating, fainting or almost fainting.
Dr. Obeid says the problem is people may not consider an irregular heartbeat a big deal at first. But, he says it can lead to bigger health issues down the road.
"Even if you just start with an extra beat, that's very benign. But, when that is frequent, compared to a normal heartbeat, it can increase the risk of congestive heart failure by making the heart weak."
Dr. Obeid says that's why he thinks talking about these issues is important because heart rhythm disorders can start as early as the teenage years.
"You could literally change people's lives, specifically like young patients, when they are really afraid of going out or playing with friends because every time they stress themselves, they go into this abnormal heart rhythm. They feel disabled from that perspective."
Some of the treatment options include ablation and a pacemaker.
Lifestyle changes to reduce the risk include eating healthy, exercise, maintaining a healthy weight, reducing stress, limiting or avoiding caffeine or alchohol and getting plenty of sleep.
