Is cardiac arrhythmia serious?

While most arrhythmias are harmless, some can be serious or even life threatening . When a heartbeat is too fast, too slow or irregular, the heart may not be able to pump enough blood to the body. Arrhythmias can be associated with serious symptoms that can affect your ability to function.

When you have atrial fibrillation, or AFib, your heart has an irregular, sometimes quick rhythm. The condition can boost your chances for a stroke, heart failure, or other heart problems. Right now, there’s no cure for it .

atrial fibrillation (AF) – this is the most common type, where the heart beats irregularly and faster than normal. supraventricular tachycardia – episodes of abnormally fast heart rate at rest.

Causes. Arrhythmia is caused by changes to heart tissue . It can also occur suddenly as a result of exertion or stress, imbalances in the blood, medicines, or problems with electrical signals in the heart.