Reflux = arrhythmia

Posted By Peter on April 15, 1998 at 22:21:33:







I have recently posted messages that related to the topic of atrial arrhythmias
caused by swallowing.  This connection appears to escape diagnosis and no one
seems to acknowledge the potential for such a connection.  I have had this problem for
several years and recently suffered atrial fibrillation that needed hospital intervention.
Considering the fact that I am only 37 and in otherwise perfect health none of this has
ever made much sense to me (famous last words I'm sure).  However my peculiar symptoms have
kept me searching for some plausible answer.  Well due to the swallowing connection which happens
every time (or at least it used to) I asked for a barium swallow to see if perhaps my esophagus
had tied a reef knot around my heart.  Well it obviously had not but what did show up was the worst
case of reflux my doctor had ever seen.  It seems in retrospect that a lot of the chest pain/discomfort
that I attributed to the heart was in fact caused by the reflux (a common finding).  However the
arrythmia is not so common.  My doctor put me on some artillery reflux meds called Pantaloc and Prepulsid
and within 5 weeks the arrythmia stopped all together.  This is not a coincidence.  I was having approximately
400-500 atrial ectopics per day, most precipitated by the action of swallowing.  The reflux was observed
as high as the hypopharyx.  So what does this say about the possiblility that other lone fibbers could
have the same mechanism?  I would never have suspected the reflux as most of the common symptoms were not
present in my case.  I sleep great, no heatburn etc.  My only idea is that chronic irritation of the vagus
nerve may have disrupted the delicate chemical balance and this may have influnced the rhythm of the heart.
I would be very interested in your thoughts regarding this matter.  Thankyou.