Irregular Heartbeat Due To COVID-19 – Symptoms And Treatment

(Last Updated On: December 2, 2022)

As per health experts, there can be many reasons for an irregular heartbeat. As we all know we are in the midst of a very dangerous and devastating second wave of Covid-19. This situation is making irregular heartbeat to many more people who are staying at home because of lockdown. This post is based on the video talk of Dr Bharat Vijay Purohit, Head of the department of cardiology, Care Hospital Hitech City explaining irregular heartbeat problems due to COVID-19. Continue reading the selected points from the video and also watch the video at the bottom.

What Causes An Irregular Heartbeat?

I am having irregular heart beating, and palpitation what should I do?

Fast heart beating could be due to their anxiety, could be due to their nervousness. Many times we know that COVID affect the lungs and there may be having little low oxygen level for which they may be requiring intermittent oxygen, for this low oxygen also can give rise to fast heart beating. And last but not least, there is something called inappropriate sinus tachycardia.

If everything is normal, you don’t have any other problems, they are checked your heart, that checked your lunch status, check your inflammatory markers, everything is normal and still, these patients can have fast heart beating which is called inappropriate sinus tachycardia.

What is inappropriate sinus tachycardia?

Inappropriate Sinus Tachycardia (IST) is a clinical syndrome characterized by a sinus heart rate inexplicably higher than one hundred beats per minute at rest that are associated with symptoms like palpitations, dyspnea or dizziness in the absence of primary causes of tachycardia.

If it is due to anxiety, if it is due to low oxygen level, if it is due to some level of inflammation is still going on, if it read the underlying cause these things will settle down. But if somebody has inappropriate sinus tachycardia then they have to take treatment.

Irregular heartbeat in a post-covid patient

We are seeing this quite commonly in post-Covid patients to have high heart beating after recovery from the covid-19 which can be managed if no other causes are found by simply giving the medicine. Otherwise, it is anxiety, we have to reassure if the oxygen level, we need to give some oxygen level and need to treat them.

Read Post-Covid Complications: Symptoms And Treatment

Many times we find this patient to be having irregular heart beating and that is because of the Covid virus. When they are infected with the Covid virus, it can affect the heart muscle which can be due to either direct heart muscle damage, due to the production of cytokine storm, or due to the development of heart attack, the patient can develop irregular heart beatings like atrial fibrillation or Ventricular tachycardia or it can be due to very serious kind of irregular heart beating.

Read FAQs Surrounding COVID-19 Vaccine

Irregular heartbeat due to drugs

Some of the drugs which are being given for Covid can cause irregular heart beating. Antimalarial drugs also can have the potential to cause irregular heart beating. Normally these antimalarial drugs are also taken for rheumatoid arthritis patients but they generally don’t cause any problem. But if it is being given to a patient who has Covid-19 probably there is a slightly higher chance of getting into this irregular heart beating.

We should be very careful and keep monitoring the easy to see whether they are developing Long QT Syndrome. So that we can take appropriate measures and prevent them from going from developing as the point is. Otherwise, it is only atrial fibrillation or it is due to some atrial tachycardia. These all can be managed by drugs and they can be safely treated without many consequences.

Irregular Heartbeat Due to COVID-19 Symptoms & Treatment | Dr Bharat Vijay Purohit | CARE Hospitals

Final Thoughts

It is true that an irregular heartbeat creates a lot of tension in our minds and that itself increases the problem. We also experience increased heartbeat when we have fear, anger, or when facing any unexpected situation. We should never do self-medication for an irregular heartbeat. But we can try our best to make our minds calm and fearless. That itself may reduce the problem.

Have you ever felt an irregular heartbeat?

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Reference: Above YouTube Video

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