Are you at Risk for an Arrhythmia?

More than 850,000 people in the U.S. are hospitalized for arrhythmia each year, states the Dartmouth-Hitchcock Medical Center. The Center for Disease Control estimates that 2.7 to 6.1 million people in the U.S. have atrial fibrillation, the most common kind of arrhythmia. Could your sleep apnea be putting you at greater risk?

The Facts

An arrhythmia is a problem with the rate or rhythm of the heartbeat. The heart can beat too quickly (tachycardia), too slowly (bradycardia), or with an irregular rhythm (dysrhythmia). Most instances of arrhythmia are harmless, but some can be life threatening if the heart is unable to pump enough blood to the organs. This can lead to damage to these organs, including the brain and the heart. To find out if you may be at risk of having an arrhythmia, take a look at the following risk factors.

1) Heart Attack or Heart Condition

Organizations like the U.S. National Library of Medicine have found that having had a heart attack or any other condition that may damage the heart’s electrical system can put you at risk for an arrhythmia. These conditions may include high blood pressure, coronary heart disease, heart failure, over or underactive thyroid gland, rheumatic heart disease, high cholesterol, narrowed heart valves, improperly formed heart tissue, or infections in the heart muscle. Some of these may be congenital heart defects, which means present at birth. Diabetes has also been found to increase the risk of high blood pressure and coronary heart disease.

2) Age

The risk for arrhythmia has been found to increase with age, even when there haven’t been previous signs of heart conditions or coronary disease. The Heart Rhythm Association states that approximately 70% of patients suffering from atrial fibrillation, the most common type of arrhythmia, are between 65 and 85 years old.

3) High Stress Levels

Stress has also been found to be a risk factor, claims the U.S. National Library of Medicine. When in a high stress situation, the heart may work harder, blood pressure may rise and stress hormones may be released. These reactions may lead to an arrhythmia. Do yourself a favor and cut back on the stress in your life.

4) Sleep-Disordered Breathing

Sleep-Disordered Breathing (SDB) can describe a lot of conditions, including sleep apnea. The most straightforward statement about links between obstructive sleep apnea (OSA) and arrhythmia are that a connection is “likely.” One study said that of the 15 million Americans with sleep apnea, they’re two to three times more likely to have a heart disease. (Heart condition, if you remember, was point number one.)

The factors listed here, as well as others including obesity and a high-fat diet, have been found to increase the risk for an arrhythmia. Do any of these describe you? If so, you may be at risk. If you have sleep apnea and you have arrhythmia, the sleep disorder is “likely” to be causing it. This makes us “likely” to be making a doctor’s appointment right about now.