Arrhythmia refers to a disorder of the rhythmic pulsating of the heart. The clinical term refers to a heterogeneous group of heart conditions that result from abnormal electrical activity in the heart muscle. The irregularity or disorder manifests in the form of increased or decreased heart beats. Arrhythmias also occur in a healthy heart, but depending on heart health, they can either lead to a serious health problem or be of minimal consequence. Arrhythmias cause Heart disease paralytic strokes and even cardiac death.

Some arrhythmias are life-threatening, while some result in completely controllable palpitations and weakness. However, if not addressed in time, arrhythmias can result in Cardiac arrest and death. There are different types of arrhythmias categorized according to the location of occurrence. Atrial arrhythmias include PACs or Premature Atrial Contractions, multifocal atrial tachycardia and atrial fibrillation. The junctional arrhythmia category includes supraventricular and AV nodal reentrant tachycardia, while the atrioventricular category comprises AV reentrant tachycardia and the Wolff-Parkinson-White syndrome. Arrhythmias are broadly categorized into asymptomatic and symptomatic.

Asymptomatic Arrhythmias: Sinus arrhythmia refers to the acceleration or slowing of heart Rate. The condition is experienced during inhalation and exhalation of oxygen. These arrhythmias are commonly experienced during breathing exercises and breath-holding patterns that are introduced as part of weight loss techniques. Palpitations are another type of arrhythmia that involve infrequent heartbeats. Asymptomatic arrhythmias are not necessarily harmless and can result in an increased risk of blood clotting within the heart muscle and/or the transportation of insufficient blood to this vital organ.

Symptomatic Arrhythmias: An irregularity in the electrical impulse within the sinoatrial node can cause synchronized contraction of the heart muscle. Bradycardias or periods of transient loss of heart beats, tachycardias or the addition of abnormal impulses to the normal cardiac cycle, and automaticity or an automatic impulse triggered by the cardiac muscle could result in irreversible damage to the heart muscle. Re-entry arrhythmias are the result of concentrated electrical impulse. Symptomatic arrhythmias result in cardiac arrest and even death.