[Sportschosun reporter Jang Jong-ho] In summer, the number of patients visiting emergency rooms not only for heat-related illnesses but also for cerebrovascular and cardiovascular diseases increases.
In particular, arrhythmia is one of the conditions most affected by heat and dehydration. It can occur not only in people with existing heart disease, high blood pressure, or heart failure, but also in younger adults, so extra caution is needed.
The biggest reason heatwaves raise the risk of arrhythmia is dehydration. When people sweat heavily in hot weather, the amount of water in the blood decreases, which can reduce blood volume and lower blood pressure. To compensate, the heart beats faster, and the balance of the autonomic nervous system is disrupted, making the heart's electrical signals unstable. In the process, arrhythmias such as atrial fibrillation or tachycardia can develop, or existing arrhythmias can worsen. Patients taking diuretics and older adults are especially prone to dehydration, so they need to pay even closer attention to hydration during the summer.
Arrhythmia is a condition in which the heart fails to maintain a normal rhythm and beats too fast, too slowly, or irregularly. It includes a wide range of types, from relatively common arrhythmias such as atrial fibrillation to life-threatening ones such as ventricular tachycardia and ventricular fibrillation. Ventricular fibrillation is the most dangerous form, as the heart cannot pump blood properly and it can lead to cardiac arrest and sudden death.
Arrhythmia often develops as a result of aging, but the number of younger patients has also been steadily rising in recent years.
In addition to congenital genetic disorders and heart diseases such as myocardial infarction, cardiomyopathy, and valvular disease, chronic stress, lack of sleep, excessive caffeine and energy drink consumption, heavy drinking, and smoking can all affect the autonomic nervous system and the heart's electrical signals, increasing the risk of arrhythmia.
Symptoms also vary. The most common signs are palpitations or the sensation of an irregular pulse, but dizziness, shortness of breath, chest pain, and fatigue can also occur. In particular, sudden loss of consciousness, or syncope, may be an important warning sign of a cardiac arrhythmia. If a person faints during exercise or while lying down without any clear reason, experiences severe palpitations or chest pain before fainting, or has a family member who suffered sudden death at a young age, a specialized cardiac evaluation is essential.
The most important part of diagnosing arrhythmia is confirming the electrocardiogram at the moment symptoms appear. However, because arrhythmias are often temporary, they are not always detected in a standard ECG test. For this reason, patch-type ECG monitors attached to the skin are now used to record heart rhythm for one to two weeks. For patients whose symptoms occur only rarely, an implantable loop recorder inserted under the skin may be used to monitor the ECG for years and identify the cause. Depending on the case, echocardiography, cardiac MRI, exercise stress testing, and genetic testing may also be performed to determine the underlying cause.
Treatment depends on the type and cause of the arrhythmia. Bradyarrhythmias, in which the heart rate is too slow and fainting occurs repeatedly, can be managed with a pacemaker to maintain a normal rhythm. On the other hand, malignant arrhythmias such as ventricular fibrillation and ventricular tachycardia are treated with an implantable cardioverter-defibrillator (ICD), which delivers an electric shock as soon as a dangerous arrhythmia occurs to restore a normal rhythm. Atrial fibrillation is treated with medication as well as radiofrequency ablation or cryoballoon ablation. More recently, Pulse Field Ablation (PFA), which selectively treats only cardiac tissue, has drawn attention as a new treatment that can reduce damage to surrounding tissue and shorten procedure time.
To prevent arrhythmia during heatwaves, it is best to drink enough water before feeling thirsty and avoid caffeinated drinks and excessive alcohol. Exercise should be done in the cooler morning or evening hours, within a reasonable range, and sudden temperature differences between indoors and outdoors should also be minimized. Patients with high blood pressure or heart disease should check their blood pressure and pulse regularly and should not stop taking their medication on their own.
Professor Choi Young of the Cardiovascular and Cerebrovascular Hospital at The Catholic University of Korea Seoul St. Mary's Hospital's Cardiology Department said, "Arrhythmia may end with simple palpitations, but some cases can lead to cardiac arrest and sudden death," adding, "Especially in summer, when dehydration and autonomic nervous system changes become more severe because of the heat, people should not dismiss symptoms lightly. If repeated palpitations, fainting, chest pain, or shortness of breath occur, it is most important to seek prompt specialist care and identify the exact cause."
Jang Jong-ho, bellho@sportschosun.com
This article has been translated by GripLabs Mingo AI.
