Paroxysmal Supraventricular Tachycardia - PSVT - is a type of arrhythmia, or irregular heart
rhythm, that affects around 1.7 million Americans--a number that is likely low because the condition
is often difficult to diagnose.
The rate and rhythm of the heart is controlled by electrical signals that start from within
one of the heart's upper chambers.
These electrical signals cause the heart to contract, or squeeze in a coordinated manner.
This synchronized heartbeat continuously circulates blood through the lungs and out to the rest
of the body to deliver vital oxygen.
Irregular heart rhythms, or arrhythmias, occur when the heart's electrical signals are abnormal,
making it beat too fast, too slow, or in an uncoordinated manner.
That irregular heart rhythm can interfere with the heart's ability to pump effectively.
PSVT is arrhythmia that causes the heart to be too quickly.
During PSVT episodes the heart can race and jump from the normal 60 to 100 beats per minute,
to up to 250 beats per minute.
These episodes can start and stop without warning, and can last from seconds to hours.
PSVT episodes affect people in different ways.
Some may not even notice them, while others describe them as frightening and exhausting.
Some only experience episodes a few times a year, while others have them every day.
The frequency can also change, and someone who has only had them a few times a year might
suddenly start having them more frequently.
For many people, not being able to predict when the next episode will happen can cause
serious anxiety and they might find themselves avoiding activities, withdrawing from life,
and altering daily routines out of fear of the next episode.
PSVT can also cause people to faint, or pass out without warning, which can make things
like driving dangerous.
While everyone's experience is different, symptoms of PSVT can include anxiety, dizziness,
chest tightness or pressure, and palpitations (the sense of feeling your heart rhythm--sometimes
as if your heart is beating out of your chest).
In more serious cases, the irregular heart rhythm may limit oxygen to the body and can
cause shortness of breath, dizziness or lightheadedness, fatigue, fainting, or sweating.
Although PSVT is caused by an electrical problem in the heart that you were born with, episodes
can be brought on by a number of risk factors.
Episodes can begin at any age, but are five times more likely to occur after the age of
65.
Women have twice the risk as men.
Certain medications like asthma and cold medications, can trigger episodes.
They can also be triggered by alcohol, caffeine, illicit drugs, and smoking.
While typically not dangerous, it's important to properly diagnose PSVT to make sure it's
not a more serious type of arrhythmia and to properly treat your episodes if they impact
your heart health, or your quality of life.
To diagnose PSVT your heart must be monitored during an episode.
Your healthcare professional may give you a device to record your heart rhythm over
time.
Because those episodes come and go, it can be hard to get answers in the doctor's office,
and too often, people's symptoms are dismissed as panic attacks, anxiety, or stress--making
many feel hopeless and alone.
And since these episodes are often alarming, people can end up in the emergency room looking
for answers.
Listen to your body, and trust your instincts if something feels wrong.
Learn how to take your pulse and potentially detect an arrhythmia, and remember that it's
always ok to get a second opinion if you feel your symptoms are being dismissed.
While receiving a diagnosis of PSVT can be overwhelming, it's important to know that
there are numerous treatment options that can help you live with your PSVT.
People with infrequent episodes can usually live healthy lives without restrictions or
need for procedures.
For others, lifestyle changes and treatments can help control and even eliminate episodes.
Some people need emergency treatment to get their heart back in rhythm, like IV medication
or cardioversion, where the heart is shocked back into rhythm.
For people with other heart disease, or who find their episodes disabling, daily medications
and cardiac ablation offer long-term treatments, and potentially a cure.
For many people, the episodes can be interrupted by a vagal maneuver.
This is usually performed by a healthcare professional, but there are variations that
can be done at home.
Coughing while sitting up and bending forward, splashing ice water on your face, or holding
your breath while straining as if having a bowel movement, can often interrupt the episode.
If vagal maneuvers don't work for you, a new potential treatment could help stop individual
episodes.
You don't need to live in constant fear of your next PSVT episode.
Take charge and talk to your healthcare professional about how you can live a normal life.
To learn more, visit www.AgingResearch.org/PSVT.