Suspected heart malfunction

My husband, is 39, normal weight, and seems healthy and strong, but sometimes he suffers from fatigue. When I cuddle up to him when we wake in the mornings, my head against his chest, I'm alarmed by his heart beat. The slightest movement makes his heart race, - I mean he may just move a foot or arm very gently - though it settles into a normal rhythm after a while. There are missed beats and weird sounds. I'm worried that something may be wrong with his heart.Can you give me any ideas? We live in Grenada.

[CCF HeartMD6]

Unfortunately there is no definitive way of making a diagnosis for an underlying arrhythmia by just history alone. There are a number of different types of abnormal heart rhythms, some completely benign, others which may indicate a more worrisome condition. Any irregular heart rhythm that is associated with symptoms should be investigated more thoroughly by a licensed physician. If the symptoms are not severe, this can usually be done on an outpatient basis. However, if there are more troublesome signs (light headedness, chest pain, shortness of breath, etc), this may need to be evaluated more urgently in an emergency department.

To start, he should have a careful history and physical performed with an electrocardiogram (EKG) . This may/may not need to be accompanied by blood work (especially if he has not seen a primary care physician in some time). If nothing is picked up immediately, a Holter monitor can be setup which is basically a recording EKG over 1-3 days. This can pick up irregularities that may occur sporadically and not picked up on an EKG at a specific time.

This would be the best way to start getting answers.