Abnormal heart rhythms are fairly common in America. Ventricular tachycardia, which is a type of arrhythmia, is not very common, though.

Only about 90,000 Americans are diagnosed with this condition each year, but it is worth knowing about. Our AFC Urgent Care Greenwood team provides information about it that you need to know below, so keep reading!

What Is Ventricular Tachycardia?

Ventricular tachycardia (VT, for short) is a heart rhythm issue that is caused by abnormal electrical signals in the ventricles. VT causes the heart to beat too fast, which then prohibits the pumping of the right amount of oxygenated blood to the rest of the body.

When the rest of the body’s organs don’t get enough oxygenated blood, it can cause shortness of breath, dizziness and even fatal symptoms like cardiac arrest. In the most common cases, ventricular tachycardia will only last for about 30 seconds (non-sustained V-tach) and will cause the symptoms that we’ve listed below.

Common Ventricular Tachycardia Symptoms

• Chest pain
• Dizziness
• Pounding heartbeat (palpitations)
• Lightheadedness
• Shortness of breath

What Causes Ventricular Tachycardia?

VT has several different causes. Abnormal electrical signals, which we mentioned previously, is the main cause, but VT can be caused by other issues that we’ve listed in the next section.

The best way to prevent VT from affecting you is by living a healthy lifestyle. Doing things like exercising often, eating a healthy diet and finding ways to control your stress and anxiety levels will dramatically reduce your risk.

Common Causes of VT

• A prior heart attack or other heart condition that caused scarring of heart tissue
• Poor blood flow to the heart muscle, due to coronary artery disease
• Electrolyte imbalances, such as an imbalance of potassium, sodium, calcium or magnesium
• Medication side effects
• Use of stimulants and hard drugs, such as cocaine or methamphetamine

One of the best things you can do is to maintain heart-healthy habits! If you do begin to feel under the weather, though, our AFC team is here to help you feel better.