Risk Factors For Premature Atrial Contractions

Premature atrial contractions happen when there is an extra heartbeat that originates in the atria. They are the most prevalent type of cardiac arrhythmia, or irregularity of the heart rhythm, in the world today. Most individuals experience premature atrial contractions on occasion, however, excessive premature atrial contractions can become a life-threatening medical issue. Normal electrical signals in the heart that prompt it to contract will come from the sinus node, however, premature atrial contractions do not come from the sinus node and cause a disruption in the regular sinus rhythm of the heart. Individuals who frequently experience premature atrial contractions will describe them as feeling like their heart skipped a beat; this is due to how the heart essentially resets the sinus node, producing a pause prior to the next normal heart contraction. Learn about the risk factors for premature atrial contractions now.

Hyperthyroidism

Hyperthyroidism occurs when the gland in the neck overproduces the two hormones responsible for relaying the message to speed up or slow down cellular processes and functions. Because the thyroid regulates the quantity of energy and oxygen the body uses and its metabolism of such substances, the secretion of too much thyroid hormones can wreak havoc on the cardiovascular system and the muscles within it. The excessive thyroid hormone is overstimulating to the heart muscle and causes it to consistently contract much faster than it normally would be with the correct hormone levels. In fact, one of the most dangerous complications of an overactive thyroid gland are heart arrhythmias such as premature atrial contractions. When the heart is being overstimulated and contracting at a high speed, there are times when the electrical impulses will get disrupted and cause the atria to lose sync with the ventricles of the heart because of the atria contracting prematurely. Untreated hyperthyroidism can significantly increase an individual's risk of having frequent premature atrial contractions that will cause their own life-threatening complications.

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Cardiomyopathy

Cardiomyopathies are diseases of the heart muscle or myocardium that cause the heart to weaken and lose its ability to pump oxygenated blood throughout the body properly. This can happen when the heart muscles stretch out and become too thin to properly pump blood. Another form of this disease is when the muscle walls of the heart thicken to the point where they are stopping the proper flow of blood through the heart. A more rare type of this disease occurs when the ventricles are not able to expand enough to fill up with the proper amount of blood due to excessive ventricle stiffening. All types of cardiomyopathies can cause electrical interruptions and irregular electrical impulses to flow throughout the heart, resulting in frequent premature atrial contractions. Individuals who have been diagnosed with any type of this disease, even if it is being treated and or managed, are at a higher risk of having problems with excessive premature atrial contractions and the complications that result from them.

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High Blood Pressure

High blood pressure (hypertension) will put any individual at a higher risk of developing numerous life-threatening diseases and conditions. Elevated blood pressure is especially hard on the heart muscle, as it forces the muscle to work much harder than normal to properly pump blood throughout the body. This can cause dangerous cardiomyopathies to form where the left ventricle walls stiffen and thicken to the point where it limits the ability of the left ventricle to correctly pump blood. In addition, hypertension can result in the development of coronary artery disease which is also associated with frequent premature atrial contractions. When the blood flow within the heart is interfered with by cardiomyopathy, clogged artery, or failure of the muscle, the heart rhythm can regularly get thrown off its normal electrical path and arrhythmias like premature atrial contractions occur. Before any of these dangerous heart complications develop as a result of high blood pressure, the general overstimulation of the heart due to hypertension alone can cause frequent premature atrial contractions.

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Coronary Heart Disease

When the blood vessels responsible for supplying oxygenated blood to operate the heart muscle become narrowed and clogged, it is called coronary heart disease. The coronary arteries that get narrowed and blocked exist on the heart's surface and do not refer to the arteries the heart uses to pump blood to the other body parts. When the coronary arteries are restricting adequate blood flow to the heart muscle tissues themselves, those tissues do not receive the proper amount of oxygen to function normally. This causes the electrical pathway and patterns of the impulses that regulate the heartbeat to get interrupted or even stop altogether. It is the oxygen shortage induced interference that will frequently cause a number of arrhythmias to occur, including premature atrial contractions. Efforts to treat coronary artery disease symptoms with medication, lifestyle changes, or surgery can help reduce the occurrence of premature atrial contractions and other types of cardiac arrhythmias, though there is no actual cure. Therefore, individuals who have coronary heart disease will always have an increased risk of experiencing premature atrial contractions.

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Increased Fatigue Or Stress

Increased fatigue or stress can have a much larger impact on the heart than most individuals care to understand. Stress is not only a mental and emotional event, but it is also a physical event. When an individual starts to get stressed out, a chain reaction is triggered. Specific glands in the body will secrete adrenaline and other hormones that will cause the heart rate to increase, the respiration rate to speed up, and an increase in blood pressure levels. This is a natural physical human response to stressful stimuli, however, when it happens frequently and excessively it can cause damage to the artery walls and heart arrhythmias like premature atrial contractions. Additionally, poor management of stress can lead to bad habits and fatigue-inducing sleep disorders. Individuals who experience excessive fatigue and stress levels are at an increased risk of having premature atrial contractions and other serious cardiac conditions.