Your heart beats around sixty to ninety times per minute when you are resting, and over a hundred times per minute when you are performing a physical exercise and/or are subjected to a state of anxiety on excitement. It has a complex electrical mechanism that keeps it beating at the right pace, and its many parts and circuits are coordinated thanks to an imbricated system of nervous connections and regulation from your autonomous nervous system.
However, just like all things, this system can fail. There are many ways in which your heartbeat can be disturbed, and many more causes behind them. Today we will examine the Long QT Syndrome, one of the most common causes of heart arrhythmia. Long QT syndrome is difficult to diagnose and requires heart testing, but you can detect its symptoms and consult your doctor if you suspect you have it. Long QT syndrome is treatable but it requires proper diagnosis.
1. Arrhythmia
Your heart has a very specific pattern of beats, which corresponds to a cycle of electric signals that travel through your cardiac muscle over and over again. These signs are originated in your brain stem and are influenced by factors such as adrenalin. Your heart will often beat at a regular pace, and the changes in heart rate will often be progressive. Arrythmia happens when your heart loses its pace and the electric signs that reach your cardiac muscles are insufficient to keep your beat steady, or even are unsteady themselves.
Long QT syndrome alters the pace at which your heart beats, and these disturbances can be clearly seen on an electrocardiogram study (ECG). In some cases, the arrhythmia is so slight that it is impossible to detect unless you have an ECG performed on yourself, but in others it can be so severe that you can perceive your pulse being erratic and out of control.
