Observing the annual World Heart Rhythm Awareness from June 7-June 13 2021, here is everything you need to know
Heart rhythm disorders occur when there are irregularities or problems with the heart’s electrical system that normally delivers signals to the heart to contract and pump blood through the body.
The current, unprecedented era has had a significant impact on healthcare systems all across the world. Arrhythmia, or irregular heartbeats, is one of many common heart disorders today, and cardiac patient therapy, particularly cardiac rhythm management, has had to change.
World Heart Rhythm Week kicks off today, an annual awareness campaign led by the Arrhythmia Alliance that focuses on recognizing arrhythmias (irregular heart rhythms) through the promotion of their Heart Safe activities.
This year’s key message “Don’t Miss A Beat” emphasizes the importance of a 30-second pulse check in detecting cardiac arrhythmias, and potentially, saving lives.
Arrhythmias and hypertension (high blood pressure) can coexist, it’s important to examine for other cardiac disorders like hypertension in people with irregular heartbeats. We must focus on maintaining our own heart health and commit to having our pulses checked on a regular basis, as hypertension is recognized as the most common risk factor for death and disability from noncommunicable diseases around the world, as well as a warning sign for other life-threatening heart conditions. This is particularly important as hypertension is called a “silent killer” as people who have it rarely have noticeable symptoms.
Why is it important to ‘Know Your Pulse?
- The simplest approach to detect an arrhythmia is to feel your pulse. Is it irregular, too rapid, or too slow?
- An arrhythmia affects more than three million Britons (irregular heart rhythm)
- Heart rhythm abnormalities are the leading cause of death.
- Arrhythmias kill at least 100,000 people in the UK every year over 250 people die every day, which is more than breast cancer, lung cancer, and AIDS combined.
- The most prevalent arrhythmia, atrial fibrillation (AF), causes 12,000 disabling and deadly AF-related strokes in the UK each year. Many could be avoided if they are recognized and treated with the appropriate anticoagulant treatment.
- We all have a 25% lifetime risk of having AF at the age of 40, which increases the risk of stroke by 500%.
- Every year, 120,000 people lose consciousness for no apparent reason, which is usually a sign of a cardiac rhythm problem.
- Misdiagnosis occurs in 39% of children and 30% of adults with epilepsy, and many have an underlying, possibly deadly arrhythmia.
- There is presently no nationwide pulse check or heart rhythm screening programme in place.
Know Your Pulse in four steps
Sit down for 5 minutes before measuring your resting pulse rate in your wrist. Remember that any stimulants (such as caffeine or nicotine) ingested before the reading will alter the rate. A watch or clock with a second hand is required.
Remove your watch and extend your left or right hand, palm facing up, with your elbow slightly bent.
Place your index and middle fingers on your wrist, at the base of your thumb, with your other hand. The stringy tendon connecting to your thumb should sit between the bone on the edge of your wrist and your fingers (as shown in the image). To identify the pulse, you may need to wiggle your fingers around a little. To feel your pulse, apply firm pressure to your wrist with your fingers.
To get your heart rate in beats per minute, count for 30 seconds and multiply by 2. If your heart rate is erratic, count for one minute without multiplying.
YouTube video explains how to check your pulse.
What is an Arrhythmia
An arrhythmia is a condition in which the heart beats irregularly or has an aberrant rhythm. This typically indicates that your heart is beating excessively quickly, slowly, or erratically. The electrical impulses that control your heart beat move in a different direction than usual, which causes this.
Arrhythmias can strike anyone at any age, although the most common form, atrial fibrillation, is more common in the elderly. Stress, coffee, cigarettes, alcohol, viral infections, or injury to the heart tissue as a result of an acquired heart disease, such as a heart attack, can all cause them.
When an irregular cardiac rhythm is appropriately detected, most people can live a normal life. Many patients, however, suffer arrhythmias that go unnoticed because they have no symptoms.
References:
Arrhythmia Alliance. Heart Rhythm Week. Available at: https://www.heartrhythmalliance.org/aa/uk/heart-rhythm-week.
WHO. Hypertension. Available at: https://www.who.int/news-room/fact-sheets/detail/hypertension.
WHO. Cardiovascular diseases. Available at: https://www.who.int/health-topics/cardiovascular-diseases/.