What is an Arrhythmia

What is an arrhythmia?

If the heart isn't beating regularly, it has an arrhythmia. The most common, but normal, heart rhythm irregularity occurs during breathing. When a person breathes in, the heart rate normally speeds up for a few beats. It slows down again when a person breaths out. This variation with breathing is called sinus arrhythmia and is completely normal. A doctor may find irregularities that differ from a sinus arrhythmia. The heart may seem to skip a beat or beat irregularly or very fast or very slowly. Then the doctor may want to perform other tests or may recommend that the patient be seen by a cardiologist (a doctor who specializes in heart problems).

Arrhythmias can occur at any age, even in infants. They commonly in middle-age adults. As people get older, they are more likely to experience an arrhythmia