Question Title: Why do I have heart palpitations?

Hello, I am a 15-yr-old who suffers from heart palpitations. I had this symptom since 14. Whenever the palpitations starts, my heart will throb at a very fast rate. Once, during the occurence of this symptom, I went to the hospital and the doctor recorded the rate of my heart beat, which turned out to be 111 beats/min. On several occasions (when the palpitations occur), i attempted to measure my heart beat rate and all turned out to exceed 110beats/min.
Besides that, I would also feel nauseatic, irritated and overcome by weariness. My face would turn extremely pale too, which I really wonder why. It happens everytime when I have the palpitations coming. Is it anemia or something? And also, during the palpitations, my vision will start to fail and often ended up seeing vague images with persistent greenish-white 'light' covering them. After that, I will be on the verge of fainting. Usually I will recover from that after taking a good nap.
Lastly, I am really puzzled to know why I suffer frm heart palpitations and why did it persist even after having medication and being referred to a cardiologist. Even simple events like bending down to retrieve something from the ground or sniffing in too hard when having a blocked nose can trigger the palpitations too, which I find really troublesome. During days full of exercise or when under too much stress and anxiety, it would also result in the palpitations. I am really very troubled. Is it common for teenagers around my age to have heart palpitations? I am curious abt this for other patients who suffered frm this disorder and had posted messages here are mostly middle age or in their late twenties.
I really hope that my doubts can be cleared soon. If possible, please kindly give me some advice on how to deal with the palpitations when they occur and what I should not do. They will be of a great help to me. Thank you very much =)

Dear Anne,

Thank you for your question. I suspect what you are experiencing is PVC’s. Here is a brief summary of what a PVC is, what causes them and the treatment (if any) for PVC’s. You can find additional information in an article in New England Journal of Medicine, May 7, 1998, Vol. 338, pages 1369-1374. Your local medical library will have a copy of this. Hope this helps.

PVC’s (premature ventricular contractions) are “extra” heartbeats occurring out of sync with the normal regular rhythm of the heart. PVC’s may cause no symptoms at all or may be felt as a “irregular” heartbeat or as the sensation of a “hard heartbeat”. PVC’s are common findings in persons with otherwise normal hearts, in which case the prognosis is excellent and there is no decrease at all in life expectancy. On the other hand, they may indicate that there is an underlying abnormality of the heart muscle (from any number of reasons). If there is an abnormality, then the prognosis and treatment depends upon the specific problem of the heart. The usual evaluation of PVC’s is a history, physical examination, and electrocardiogram (ECG). Also your doctor may wish to check an ultrasound of the heart. If all those tests are normal, then you would fall into the category of people who have PVC’s but otherwise no underlying heart problem. In that case, treatment depends on how much the PVC’s bother you. If they are essentially asymptomatic, then no treatment is required. If they bother you, then a medication called a "beta-blocker" may reduce the frequency of the PVC’s. PVC’s can’t be "cured", but the medication can decrease their frequency. The potential side effects of beta-blockers are tiredness, impotence in men and breathing difficulties in individuals with underlying lung disease. Be sure to discuss these issues with your doctor and under no circumstance should you take medications for the heart without the supervision of a doctor.

It is less common for people your age to have these symptoms but they may occur at any age. Again, I would consider hat is called a holter monitor to monitor your heart for several days to determine the significance of these extra beats and increased heart rate.

Below are some web sites with additional information about PVCs.

http://www.amhrt.org/Heart_and_Stroke_A_Z_Guide/prevent.html
http://www.nhlbi.nih.gov/nhlbi/cardio/other/gp/arrhyth.htm
http://www.MedicineNet.com/Forum.asp?li=USA&ag=Y&ArticleKey=1946
http://www.onelist.com/

Information provided here is for general educational purposes only. Only your doctor can provide specific diagnoses and treatments. If you would like to be seen at the Cleveland Clinic, please Call 1 - 800 - CCF - CARE for an appointment at Desk F15 with a cardiologist

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