Irregular heartbeat / dull ache in left arm

[bmxtuffy]

Hi.

I am a thirty eight year old male, overweight (6ft /116kg) & suffer from hypertension. I have recently been recording my blood pressure at home and it is usually fine, however whenever I go to the doctors it's always elevated. the only medication that I am taking is Micardis 40mg & Cartia. I have only recently stopped smoking and am determined to get my life into shape.

One year ago I began to suffer from Ectopic heartbeats. I was referred to have both an ECG & Cardio Ehco, both of which detected no abnormalities and I was given the all clear.

One week ago I began to feel a mild dull ache in my left arm, this was not as a result of exertion. Since then, the ache has been occurring intermittently and in different parts (shoulder, forearm etc) of my arm. I have not experienced chest pain or any other symptoms.

I went to my doctor who suspected that it was nothing, but nevertheless advised that I go for an ECG and blood tests. I had my ECG today and the nurse noticed that I had an 'intermittent irregular heartbeat'. I won't be getting my results back for a week so I am somewhat concerned.

My questions are

- Could there be a link between the ache in my left arm and my 'intermittent irregular heartbeat'?
- How worried should I be? I have a 3 year old son and another baby on the way, so I am even more concerned      about my health.

I understand that without my results it's difficult to provide an accurate diagnosis, however any advise you could provide me with would be greatly appreciated.

Kind Regards,

Rob.

[jeff1971]

I am in a similar situation, 41 yrs old, hypertension, ectopic beats and left arm aches that spread to shoulder, armpit and down into forearm that are not induced by exertion. Bad family history (father had his first heart attack in his forties) so I guess I will be having an angio. I hope you are doing ok, I am quite nervous about it all.

[tsco]

I can have an achy pain in my left arm when experiencing constant pacs or runs of tachycardia.

[Joseph Sclafani, M.D.]

Thank you for your question Rob.

I could not tell exactly what is going since they did not tell you what the ECG abnormality was on your ECG that was performed. It sounds like you demonstrated premature ventricular complex (or complexs)-PVC's or premature atrial complexes PAC's on your ECG. This is what is meant by "ectopic" beats, which are electrical impulses that orginate from a source other than where they normally originate from, the sinus node. PAC's originate from areas in the upper chambers of the heart, the atria, while PVC's originate from the lower chambers of the heart, the ventricles.

In addition, you are describing a left arm discomfort, which can be considered equivalent to having left sided chest discomfort. However, the symptoms you are describing are "atypical" in nature. Atypical chest pain, or in this case, left arm pain, is usually evaluated with a stress test.

I would not necessarily draw a link between the 2 - and I don't think lumping the 2 symptom complex together provide any piece of mind for you either. Ectopic beats are a sign of possible abnormalities of the "electricity" of the heart. This is broadly called arrhythmia. Structural heart disease is the most common cause, but it sounds like you had a normal echocardiogram, or no abnormalities of the structures of the heart.

We worry about blockages of the arteries that supply the heart, or coronary artery disease, when someone describes chest pain or left arm pain.

I think both of these problems should be considered separate. Ectopic beats with a normal Echocardiogram do not carry a poor prognosis. If they are not causing you any symptoms you can probably not be overly concerned.

I would evaluate the left arm pain you are describing in one of my patients with a stress test. However, like I said, the symptoms you are describing are atypical in nature. They warrant testing, but you should not be overly anxious about the situation.

Very Respectfully,
Dr. S