Palpitation Causes
Aka: Palpitation Causes
II. Causes: By Frequency
- Non-organic such as Anxiety Disorder (31%)
- Atrial Fibrillation (16%)
- Supraventricular Tachycardia (10%)
- Medications or recreational drugs (6%)
- Systemic disease (4%)
- Structural heart disease (3%), esp. Mitral Valve Prolapse
- Ventricular Tachycardia (2%)
III. Causes: By Characteristics and Timing
- Isolated single beats improved with Exercise
- Slow Heart Rate with Palpitations
- Atrioventricular Block
- Sinus node disease (e.g. Sick Sinus Syndrome)
- Rapid beats with sudden onset (Tachyarrhythmias)
- Intermittent episodes with gradual onset
- Caffeine (tea, coffee, soda, chocolate)
- Drugs of Abuse
- Herbals
- Ephedra
- Yohimbine
- Guarana
- Yerba mate
- Kola nut
- Bitter Orange
- Coenzyme Q10
- Omega-3 Fatty Acid Supplements
- Other medications
- Theophylline
- Beta Agonists
- Digitalis
- Performance Enhancing Drugs (e.g. Anabolic Steroids)
- Carbon Monoxide toxicity
- Tobacco products
- Panic Attack
- Pheochromocytoma (rare)
- Mitral Valve Prolapse
- Persistant Palpitations at rest
- Anemia (worse with Exercise)
- Hyperthyroidism
- Hypertension
- Beriberi
- Fever
- Dehydration
- Anxiety Disorder
- Cardiomyopathy
- Pericarditis
- Valvular abnormality
IV. Causes: Cardiac
- Arrhythmia
- Extrasystoles
- Atrial premature contractions
- Ventricular premature contractions
- Supraventricular Tachycardia
- Ventricular Tachycardia
- Miscellaneous
- Extrasystoles
- Structural heart disease
- Atrial myxoma
- Cardiomyopathy
- Long QT syndrome (Ventricular Tachycardia risk)
- Valvular heart disease
- Mitral Valve Prolapse
V. Causes: Non-Cardiac
- Mood Disorders
- Generalized Anxiety Disorder
- Panic Disorder (Panic Attacks)
- Emotional stress
- Somatization Disorder
- Medications
- See Drugs of Abuse, medications, Herbals as above
- Prolonged QT Interval due to Medication
- Alcohol
- Beta Agonists (e.g. Albuterol)
- Beta Blocker withdrawal
- Nicotine
- Caffeine
- Cocaine
- Methamphetamine
- Miscellaneous
- Anemia
- Exercise
- Fever
- Hypoglycemia
- Hypovolemia
- Mastocytosis
- Paget’s Disease
- Pheochromocytoma
- Pregnancy
- Thyroid disorders (Hypothyroidism, Hyperthyroidism)