Causes And Complications Linked To Sick Sinus Syndrome

Scar Tissue From Previous Heart Surgery

The presence of scar tissue from previous heart surgery can cause an individual to develop sick sinus syndrome. Scarring or fibrosis of the sinus node may occur as a result of sinoatrial artery stenosis, a clot in the sinoatrial artery, rheumatic fever, pericarditis, diphtheria, Lyme disease, Chagas disease, amyloidosis, hemochromatosis, scleroderma, or other inflammatory and infiltrative diseases. Because the body naturally repairs damage to its tissues by replacing it with scar tissue, the damage from a previous heart surgery will not heal back to its original state. Healthy cardiac muscle tissue is conductive and flexible, while scar tissue is dense, fibrous, and is not conductive. Scar tissue forms in the heart near the sinus node as the body repairs local surgical damage. This change of tissue characteristics may interfere with the healthy function of the sinus node. Scarring can cause the sinoatrial node to fire too early, too late, or fire less frequently than it should. Such abnormalities of the sinoatrial node are what characterizes sick sinus syndrome.

Continue reading to reveal more causes and complications of sick sinus syndrome now.

Atrial Fibrillation

Atrial fibrillation is an irregular heart rhythm where the atria beat abnormally, chaotically, and out of coordination with the ventricles of the heart. This lack of coordination is a result of fast and erratic electrical signals being fired from the sinoatrial node. These impulses do not all successfully reach the atrioventricular node that connects the electrical pathway between the atria and ventricles. The result is the atria contracts and relaxes faster than the ventricles because of the difference in the frequency of electrical impulses between the two. Atrial fibrillation can cause an individual to develop heart failure or have a stroke. It is a common complication seen in sick sinus syndrome patient. The reason for this is because the dysfunction that causes atrial fibrillation lies within the firing of electrical impulses by the sinoatrial node, which should fire impulses at a steady and even rate so the chambers of the heart will contract and relax at the proper times. The aberrant and rapid impulses that result in atrial fibrillation can occur due to sick sinus syndrome.

Discover more complications linked to sick sinus syndrome now.