Numerous diseases of the heart may pathologically accelerate the heart rhythm or cause arrhythmias. These include:

• Diseases of the heart muscle (cardiomyopathy, myocarditis)
• Coronary artery disease
• Heart attack
• Heart failure
• Diseases of the impulse conduction system
• Congenital heart rhythm disorders (e.g. Long QT-Syndrome)

In addition, some medication, toxins and other diseases like hyperthyroidism may trigger tachycardia.

Those at particularly high risk for tachycardia include:

• Are over 60 years old
• Athletes
• People with undiagnosed heart diseases, particularly heart muscle diseases
• People with an overall unhealthy lifestyle: too much stress, smoking, heavy drinking, overweight, lack of exercise

People who have already survived an episode of ventricular fibrillation are at the highest risk of recurrent ventricular fibrillation. Without adequate treatment, about 40 percent of these patients suffer from ventricular fibrillation again within two years after their first episode.¹

Inexplicable, self-limiting tachycardia without any further symptoms may be harmless. It is recommended, however, to see a physician for a medical examination because the event may have been caused by a serious underlying health problem and arrhythmias may worsen without adequate treatment.
If the heartbeat is permanently accelerated over 100 beats per minute, you must seek medical advice. You should visit a physician as soon as possible if the arrhythmia is accompanied by symptoms like giddiness, dizziness, shortness of breath, or a light pressure in the breast. Symptoms like fainting (syncope), breathlessness, cramping or breast pain indicate an emergency requiring immediate medical treatment.

To diagnose a tachycardia, the physician has to learn about your medical history. They will ask you under what circumstances the tachycardia and associated symptoms have occurred. He will listen to your heart sounds and measure your pulse. An electrocardiogram (ECG or EKG) will graph your heart´s electric activity. Sometimes, the EKG alone points to the underlying cause of the tachycardia.
For an effective long-term therapy, it is crucial that the underlying cause of the disorder is found. To that end, different examinations and tests are necessary. These examinations may include blood tests, X-ray, ultrasound and/or specific examination of the blood vessel system.
Infrequently occuring tachycardia may be detected by a long-term EKG. Besides portable Holter monitors there are devices which can be inserted under the skin. Insertable heart monitors are very useful for observing the heart’s electric activity over a long period of time, even years.

In cases of ventricular fibrillation, quick action saves lives. If someone near you suddenly loses consciousness and has no discernible pulse, you should immediately undertake the following:

• Immediately call an emergency medical team (9-1-1)
• Once you have dropped the emergency call, immediately initiate cardiac massage (CPR) and mouth-to-nose-resuscitation until the emergency physician arrives.
• If an automated external defibrillator is available, use them in order to stop ventricular fibrillation. These devices are installed at many public locations and are very easy to handle even for laypeople. Easy to understand step-by-step instructions help the first aider correctly provide basic life support.

Please click here. to learn more about therapy options for tachycardia.