Heart Arrhythmias Causes

A person's risk of developing heart arrhythmias is due to a combination of lifestyle factors, heredity, and age. Having two or more of the following risk factors increases a person's heart arrhythmia and heart disease risk:

Heart arrhythmia risk factors

• Physical exertion and emotional stress
• Overuse of alcohol, caffeine, amphetamines, and cocaine
• Certain over-the-counter medications, dietary supplements, and herbs
• Certain prescription medications (beta-blockers, psychotropics, sympathomimetics, medications for a different type of arrhythmia)
• Other types of heart disease

Additional heart disease risk factors

• Metabolic syndrome
  Metabolic syndrome is a group of conditions that increase a person's risk of developing heart disease, stroke, and diabetes.
  • Central obesity (a large waistline)
  • Unhealthy cholesterol levels: high LDL ("bad") cholesterol, low HDL ("good") cholesterol, and high triglycerides
  • High blood pressure
  • Elevated fasting blood sugar (glucose)
• Diabetes
• Physical inactivity
• Smoking
• Family history of heart disease
  • Father or a brother diagnosed with heart disease before 55 years of age.
  • Mother or a sister diagnosed with heart disease before 65 years of age.
• Age and gender
  • Male of age 45 and older
  • Female of age 55 and older (or after menopause)

According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), the percentage of Americans with the following heart disease risk factors are:

Heart arrhythmia triggers

Heart arrhythmia symptoms may be triggered by the following:

• Emotional stress
• Physical exertion
• Fatigue
• Stimulants (such as alcohol, caffeine, and coffee)
• Illegal drugs (such as amphetamines, cocaine, and marijuana)
• Certain medications (such as appetite suppressants, cold and cough medications, antiarrhythmics, beta-blockers, antidepressants, sedatives, stimulants, and tranquillizers)