An arrhythmia describes an irregular heartbeat – the heart may beat too fast, too slowly, too early, or irregularly. Arrhythmias occur when the electrical signals to the heart that coordinate heartbeats are not working properly. For instance, some people experience irregular heartbeats, which may feel like a racing heart or fluttering.
Many heart arrhythmias are harmless; however, if they are particularly abnormal, or result from a weak or damaged heart, arrhythmias can cause serious and even potentially fatal symptoms.
Any interruption to the electrical impulses that cause the heart to contract can result in arrhythmia.
For a person with a healthy heart, they should have a heart rate of between 60-100 beats per minute when resting.
The more fit a person is, the lower their resting heart rate.
Olympic athletes, for example, will usually have a resting heart rate of under 60 beats per minute because their hearts are very efficient.
A number of factors can cause the heart to work incorrectly, they include:
