What Causes High Heart Rate While Suffering From Strep Throat?

Posted on Fri, 13 May 2016

Question: I was diagnosed with strep throat over a week ago, Friday. The Monday before that my heart rate was 112 at the dentist. I went to Urgent Care on Friday for strep, my heart rate was 120 and I went to my PCP on Monday and my HR was 135. My PCP changed my antibiotics from Urgent Care and thought my elevated HR was due to infection. It is 116 now, I have shortness or breath, left arm tingling and numbness and I am hot/sweating all the time but no fever. My arm tingling and numbness I thought was due to my cervical spondylosis???. Laying down or on my side in a chair while sick, makes my neck pain flare up tremendously. I thought the numbness in my arm was part of my neck but I am not sure. I do not have a cough or chest pain but the elevated HR is not improving. I took 4 days of a ZPack and now I am still taking Doxycycl 100 MG twice a day since 2/29/16. Do I need to go to an ER or am I over reacting?

Answered by Dr. Ilir Sharka (31 minutes later)

Brief Answer:
I would explain as follows :

Detailed Answer:
Hello!

Welcome and thank you for asking on HCM!

Regarding your concern, I would explain that your high heart rate seems to be related to inflammation and the tooth infection.

The pain on the arm doesn't seem to be cardiac related.

The fact that your arm and neck pain is exwcerbated by certain body positions yoes in favour of musculoskeletal pain.

I recommended consulting with your GP for a careful physical examination and some tests :

- blood lab tests (complete blood count, PCR, sedimentation rate, blood electrolytes )
-a cervical column X ray study
-a resting ECG and cardiac ultrasound to examine your cardiac function and structure.

I don't think that there is any need to go to the emergency room.

Hope you will find this answer helpful!

Kind regards,

Dr.Iliri

Above answer was peer-reviewed by : Dr. Chakravarthy Mazumdar