Hi,I am Dr. Prabhakar Koregol (Cardiologist). I will be looking into your question and guiding you through the process. Please write your question below.
Have Family History Hypothyroidism, Experiencing Strange Heart. What To Do?
I am a 38 yr old woman. All of the 10 women in my family are affected by hypothyroidism. In recent years, I have been experiencing a very strange heart beat on occasion. It's when I am completely relaxed which scares me even more. All of a sudden, my heart slows but the 'beat' is very strong, like my heart is going to jump out of my chest. It's not painful, although the pressure is very uncomfortable. Any ideas I can take to my doc?
Dear madam
Thanks for writing to us.
An irregular pulse like this can have many forms (medically speaking) and each one of them carries a different meaning and treatment.
Possibly the beats you feel are premature beats. The first thing required in their work-up is an ECG followed by ECHO and if your ECG shows premature beats & ECHO is normal it can be managed by a single drug.
If you ever had blackouts/ blurred vision/loss of consciousness/ vertigo associated with these beats, please see your cardiologist at priority. Else you can see him on schedule and please do get an ECG at the time of these episodes.
I hope it was helpful. Feel free to discuss more.
Sincerely
Sukhvinder singh
You should see an Endocrinologist and have your thyroid investigated...even in the absence of symptoms, because of strong family history...
You are probably having missed beats - It may have nothing to do with Hypo-thyroidism... THE FIRST STEP IS TO SEE A CARDIOLOGIST / Irregular heart beats need to be DOCUMENTED by ElectroCardioGram (EKG). / Standard ECG records the electrical activity of the heart, for a few seconds. It can detect the arrhythmia occurring during that time only. If the episode occurs randomly, one needs Holter or event monitor.
ECHOcardiogram / TMT (Treadmill exercise ECG) / LABORATORY work-up – may all be necessary for further assessment and assistance. You may even need Electro Physiological Studies (EPS)
The treating doctor may suggest them depending on need, based on his assessment of the situation.
Take care
Wishing speedy recovery
God bless
Good luck
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Have Family History Hypothyroidism, Experiencing Strange Heart. What To Do?
Dear madam Thanks for writing to us. An irregular pulse like this can have many forms (medically speaking) and each one of them carries a different meaning and treatment. Possibly the beats you feel are premature beats. The first thing required in their work-up is an ECG followed by ECHO and if your ECG shows premature beats & ECHO is normal it can be managed by a single drug. If you ever had blackouts/ blurred vision/loss of consciousness/ vertigo associated with these beats, please see your cardiologist at priority. Else you can see him on schedule and please do get an ECG at the time of these episodes. I hope it was helpful. Feel free to discuss more. Sincerely Sukhvinder singh