Tachycardia is based on the words ‘tachy’ which means fast, and ‘-cardia’ meaning heart. Tachycardia is a heart rate that is faster than normal, more than 100 beats per minute. Kardia Advanced Determination “Tachycardia” indicates a form of tachycardia between 100 to 140 beats per minute, with no atrial fibrillation or wide QRS detected.
What Causes Tachycardia?
The normal range for heart rate depends on your age and physical condition. The most common form of tachycardia is sinus tachycardia, which is a normal increase in heart rate. A rapid heartbeat may be your body's response to common conditions such as exercise, anxiety, fright, dehydration, emotional distress, fever, drugs, certain medications, thyroid disease, or anemia. Other causes of tachycardia may be due to heart disease or conditions that affect the heart's electrical system. When the heart beats fast, you may have no symptoms or you may experience dizziness, fluttering in chest, chest pain or pressure*, or shortness of breath.
What Can I Do Next?
The treatment for tachycardia depends on what is causing the fast rate, as well as your symptoms. For sinus tachycardia, treatment is focused on addressing the cause of the fast heart rate, rather than the fast heart rate itself. Cutting down on coffee, alcohol, and tobacco may be advised. Severe tachycardia may be treated with medication, cardioversion, radiofrequency ablation or surgery. If you have tachycardia, your doctor can give you additional instructions about how to manage it and your overall heart health.
*Kardia cannot detect signs of a heart attack. If you believe you are having a medical emergency, call emergency services."