Can Medication Help Paroxysmal Atrial Tachycardia?

Can Medication Help Paroxysmal Atrial Tachycardia?
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What is Paroxysmal Atrial Tachycardia?

Several different heart problems are known to cause heart arrhythmia; one of these is atrial tachycardia. This condition occurs when the heart’s electrical impulses originate in the wrong place: normally, these electrical impulses originate in the upper right portion of the heart, in a small piece of tissue called the sinoatrial node. In a person who develops atrial tachycardia, the electrical impulses originate in the atria (upper chambers of the heart). When children are born with this heart defect, the death risk can be high, but in adults the morbidity rate is usually low.

Paroxysmal atrial tachycardia sometimes has a similar cause, but episodes can also occur even when there is no underlying heart defect present. In these cases the tachycardic episode is benign, but even so it can still be a frightening thing to experience.

The most common symptom of paroxysmal atrial tachycardia is rapid heartbeat, usually between 160 and 200 beats per minute. Other symptoms often accompany the tachycardia, including heart palpitations, dizziness, and anxiety. If there is no underlying heart defect causing the tachycardia there is no real danger, but this doesn’t usually help lessen feelings of anxiety in the middle of an episode.

Medication for Paroxysmal Atrial Tachycardia

Paroxysmal atrial tachycardia treatment varies depending on the cause of the symptoms. If the underlying cause is a physical heart defect, treatment may involve medication or surgery, depending on the cause of the tachycardia. In some cases, for instance, the physical cause of the episodes is the existence of overgrown tissue near the sinoatrial valve. In these cases, the typical treatment is surgery to remove the overgrown tissue.

Alternatively, medication can help paroxysmal atrial tachycardia that is caused by an underlying disease or another cardiac condition. Possible medications may include statins, calcium channel blockers, or beta blockers, depending on exactly what is causing the arrhythmia.

In cases where the paroxysmal atrial tachycardia has no physical cause, medication may not be warranted, as medications may simply cause more problems when there is no underlying condition to be treated. In these cases, the most effective treatment is to determine what triggers episodes of tachycardia, so that triggering situations can be avoided. In some people, tachycardic episodes can be triggered by caffeine, alcohol, or stress, for example.

Resources

Tachycardia Information at Medicine.net

Atrial Tachycardia Information at eMedicine