THE INNER-CITY NEWS - February 22, 2023 - February 28, 2023
Irregular Heartbeat: What Is It and How Do You Treat It? people with healthy hearts, but it can be life-threatening for a heart already weakened by heart disease.
by Jessica Daniels, BlackDoctor.org
Many things can make your heart skip a beat — the words to a song, a case of the nerves, or a near car accident — but these temporary palpitations aren’t usually cause for concern. But much more serious, and sometimes deadly, things can throw off the heart’s rhythm, including dehydration, a history of heart disease, wild type ATTR-CM, or a heart defect. Medications, intense exertion or anxiety can also trigger heart rhythm changes or arrhythmias. According to Dr. Mark Anderson of Johns Hopkins University in Baltimore, “the heart’s system is not unlike the electrical system in a car,” which helps the car run properly. The electrical pulses keep the heart’s rhythm smooth and even, he explained in a recent article. But when the electric signals that control the pace of your heartbeat malfunction, that is a heart arrhythmia, according to the American Heart Association (AHA).
Types of bradycardia • Sick sinus syndrome is due to defective sinus nodes. The sinus nodes are the natural pacemakers in the heart. Heart rhythms will beat too quickly or, more commonly, too slowly when malfunctioning. • Conduction block is a heart rhythm condition caused by a breakdown in the flow of the electrical pulses that make the heart pump. The blockage slows the heart rate because the messages of when to pump and contract are not coming on time.
What causes heart arrhythmia? The AHA lists many causes that can lead to heart arrhythmias. They can include disease or illness, a stressful lifestyle, too much drinking and smoking, certain medications, trauma, surgery, and genetic or birth defects.
What is heart arrhythmia? Arrhythmias can feel like flutters or butterflies in your chest or that your heart is racing or pounding. Heart arrhythmias can also cause the heart rhythm to slow down or skip. Most of the time, they are harmless, but they can signify something more serious. RELATED: Unexpected Physical Signs Your Heart Needs a Check-up What are the types of heart arrhythmia? The Mayo Clinic groups heart arrhythmias into two main types, tachycardia (faster heartbeats) and bradycardia (slower heartbeats).
Types of tachycardia
• Atrial fibrillation (a-fib) is one of the most common types of arrhythmia. According to the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, more than 12 million people will experience a-fib by 2030. It is described as a rapid, chaotic heartbeat and is associated with an increased risk of blood clots and stroke. • Atrial flutter is like a-fib. It starts with an electrical short-circuit in the upper heart chamber. The heartbeats are rapid, but not chaotic like with a-fib. It is also associated with an increased risk of stroke. • Supraventricular tachycardia (SVT) is categorized as a sudden pounding of the heart. It is an umbrella term for ar-
rhythmias that start above the lower heart chambers. SVT can also lead to serious complications such as stroke and other heart diseases. • Ventricular fibrillation is a heart rhythm issue in the heart’s lower ventricles. It is a misfire in the electrical signals of the heart that cause the ventricles to flutter randomly. If normal heart rhythm is not restored, it can lead to death. Ventricular fibrillation is mostly found in those with underlying heart disease or those who have experienced trauma. • Ventricular tachycardia is also due to defective electrical pulses in the heart’s lower ventricles. It is usually harmless for
Heart arrhythmia symptoms According to the Mayo Clinic, heart arrhythmias often don’t have any signs or symptoms, but a doctor may catch them during a routine visit. Sometimes, mild symptoms can include flutters or butterflies in your chest, a racing or slowing heart rate or a heart pounding. More severe symptoms may include chest pain, sweating, shortness of breath, lightheadedness, fatigue, and dizziness or fainting. If these more severe symptoms occur, they should be addressed immediately.
Heart arrhythmia treatments
Heart arrhythmias are often harmless and don’t need to be treated, according to the AHA. Before that can be decided, a doctor must be aware of the issue and determine an underlying cause. If it is determined that treatment needs to happen, they may suggest several different options: • Increased physical activity, reduced caffeine or alcohol intake, and stress management • Heart arrhythmia medications or changes in medications that may be causing the symptoms • Surgery to remove blockages or correct defects may be recommended. Surgery may also be needed to implant devices such as a pacemaker, which keeps the heart beating at a proper pace
How to prevent heart arrhythmia The AHA also suggests heart arrhythmias can be prevented with heart-healthy habits: • A heart-healthy diet includes fruits, vegetables, healthy fats, lean proteins, fiber and plenty of water • Regular exercise, especially cardiovascular exercise • Weight loss or maintaining a healthy weight • Quit smoking and other drugs • Limiting or avoiding caffeine and alcohol • Practicing stress management and reducing anxiety • Using medications as directed and tell your doctor about all the medicines or supplements you take, including those bought without a prescription
Commentary
TBE# 6 – President Biden responds to National Urban League priorities in State of the Union Address By Marc H. Morial, President and CEO, National Urban League
“Imagine what it’s like to lose a child at the hands of the law. Imagine having to worry whether your son or daughter will come home from walking down the street or playing in the park or just driving their car … Imagine having to worry like that every day in America. Here’s what Tyre’s mom shared with me when I asked her how she finds the courage to carry on and speak out. With faith in God, she said her son ‘was a beautiful soul and something good will come from this.’ Imagine how much courage and character that takes. It’s up to us. It’s up to all of us.” — President Joe Biden Just before Tuesday’s State of the Union address, my fellow civil rights leaders and I asked President Biden to use his platform to call for a robust and impactful fed-
eral response to the killing of Tyre Nichols and the continuing disproportionate police killings of Black and Brown people. Tyre’s parents, RowVaughn and Rodney Wells, were given a place of honor alongside the First Lady and Second Gentleman, so the nation could not look away from their grief. Their presence, and the words of RowVaughn Wells as shared by President Biden, made a powerful case for transforming the relationship between police and the communities they serve, reminding the nation that their anguish of is an ever-present specter for Black families. We asked the President to call on Congress to implement a transformative police accountability framework to address systemic police violence, whatever the legislative vehicle. As he noted in the address, we must “give law enforcement the training they need, hold them to higher stan-
Marc H. Morial
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dards, and help them succeed in keeping everyone safe … And when police officers or departments violate the public’s trust, we must hold them accountable.” The George Floyd Justice in Policing Act represents a vision of what President Biden called “the covenant we have with each other in America” and the National Urban League stands with him in demanding its passage into law. While President Biden assailed the January 6 insurrection and the Big Lie that fueled its violence, his call to honor the results of our elections did not specifically call on Congress to pass the John Lewis Voting Rights Advancement Act or other comprehensive voting rights measures. The National Urban League remains committed to this legislation and will continue to advocate for its passage. We were pleased to hear the President’s praise of the Child Tax Credit, which has
given “tens of millions of parents some breathing room and cut child poverty in half, to the lowest level in history.” The National Urban League is a staunch advocate of expanding the CTC, which would reduce poverty among children of all racial and ethnic groups and specifically cut Black child poverty in half. With regard to consumer data privacy, the President endorsed “stricter limits on the personal data these companies collect on all of us.” The National Urban League continues to prioritize the need for comprehensive federal privacy legislation with strong civil rights protections to protect our communities online. The National Urban League appreciates our collaborative relationship with the Biden-Harris Administration and looks forward to advancing our priorities of racial justice and economic opportunity in the months ahead.