Tachycardia - 20 year old

20 year old female.  24 hour holter monitor results:  Average heart rate 110 BPM, Minimum 69 BPM and Max 162 BPM.

The rhythm was sinus. P-wave changes noted.  Supraventricular ectopic activity consisted of 1 single PAC. The longest R-R interval was 1.2 seconds.

Would you advise medication to slow heart rate?  Patient has probable lupus and probable ulcerative colitis.  Echocardiogram normal, EKG normal.

She has always had a resting pulse of 100-120 since childhood.

[Michael J. McWilliams, M.D.]

In my own clinic I would offer a rate control medications. I would tell them that there is not data to suggest that slowing a normal fast rhythm (sinus tachycardia) has any associated decreased health or cardiac problems.  Certainly if there are symptoms to the sinus tachycardia it would help but there is no proven medical benefit to doing it other than to make the numbers look better (slower heart rate).