PAC's and symptoms

[mkh9]

I've been diagnosed with PAC's. I have 104/24 hours. My heart beat was an average of 74 and ranged from 50-102. I am getting an echocardiogram tomorrow to rule out mitral value prolapse. I am worried and hope I don't have that. My question is if I have symptoms such as occasional flutter, some days shortness or breath or tired or very slight chest pain does it mean I am more likely to have mitral value than someone without symptoms? I quit caffiene and sugar. I feel a little better more days. They said they are benign but you can get rare VT's. How rare is it to get a VT from these and should I take beta blockers? I think my grandma may have had tachycardia (but I'm not sure).
thanks a bunch.
mkh9

[mkh9]

Thank you for your information. You made me feel better.
mkh9

[mkh9]

Thanks for writing back. Yes, since my echo was normal I'm not going to worry. It sounds like the concensus is that it isn't too worrysome at this point. If things change then I'll recheck the echo and see a cardio.
mkh9

[is_something_wrong]

That's a common, but difficult question.

In general, no. That said, a perfectly wrong timed PAC can in rare cases trigger short runs of atrial fibrillation (even in healthy hearts) but to maintain the fibrillation for a long time, either a structural change must be done to the atrium (dilated, hypertrophied, etc) or there must be another cause (like chronic elevated stress hormone levels, poisoning, or illegal drugs, to mention a few..)

Don't worry about this. 100 PACs /24 hours is nothing (though it feels different). If you get atrial fibrillation once in the future, address it then. It's not life threatening and it's fixable.

[MichelleP_3811]

Very rarely will it cause afib.  It generally will only happen if there is something structurally wrong with your heart.  Afib is generally caused by some sort of heart disease and considering your heart is healthy you can feel pretty confident you won't get afib.  No one can 100% guarantee it but your odds are very low for developing afib.  Take care.

[mkh9]

Hi It has been a while and I have another question. Can PAC's cause atrial fibrilation? I have a normal echocardiogram and heart monitor had 104/24 hours of PAC's. I get more when I take Flexeril so I'm getting off of that. But someone mentioned that and I was wondering if you know about AFib and PAC's. So, basically are they totally benign?
thanks
mkh9

[mkh9]

Hi Merileegal, and others,
Does the SVT show up on the halter monitor? I didn't have any SVT's only PAC's during the 24 hours so does  that mean I won't get the SVT's? My echo was normal too. Do you get SVT's often or rarely? I want to forget about this and not worry about need meds. I can deal with the symptoms as long as I know that nothing bad will come out of them. My grandmother had tachycardia but they didn't see that on my data.
thanks
mkh9

[mkh9]

Hi,
Thanks so much. It sounds like PAC's are pretty much benign and other than feeling symptoms don't cause to many problems. If my echo comes out clear then I will be fortunate. I hope so. Then I can just deal with my back pain, tendonitis and toe infection, LOL.
mkh9

[is_something_wrong]

SVT is so-called supraventricular tachycardia, which includes all rapid heart rhythms that origin in the upper chambers of the heart, actually including "normal" sinus tachycardia though this is rarely mentioned as SVT.

A PAC may, if you're predisposed to it, trigger some of the supraventricular tachycardia (there are 10-12 of them). PACs may also occur in lines, you can have 3-10 PACs in a row until the next normal beat appears. This is also known as SVT. The good news is that SVT usually is a benign phenomenon and the "lines of PACs" are completely benign.

[mkh9]

Hi again, thanks for all your information. I want to ask would you explain what an SVT is? I'm still waiting for my echo results.
thanks in advance,
mkh9

[is_something_wrong]

You're welcome.

I think you've misunderstood your GP. Are you sure he didn't say SVT, which in rare cases can be triggered by PACs?

Well, MVP can cause PACs but because almost everyone have PACs through 24 hours, and MVP is fairly uncommon, most people with PACs do not have MVP. Some other rare conditions may also cause PACs, but by far the most common explaination is high stress levels, caffeine, nicotine and other non-cardiac causes.

I get my PACs (or an increase in them, I always have some PACs but I don't always notice them) after a stressful day at work, times of anxiety, etc. I usually don't get them during the stressful happening, but after.

[mkh9]

Hi and thanks for the answers to my questions. Yes I got the echo but  I won't get the results for 3 days. I'm really glad if PAC's can't cause VT's. My GP said that it might cause them. If my echo is normal I'm not going to worry about it. I read something about MVP causing PAC"s though. I'm glad if it is uncommon as that means perhaps my echo will be negative for that.
mkh9

[merileegal]

I had SVT and had an ablation for it a few months ago. SVT (supraventricular tachycardia) is when your heart starts beating very fast in literally a single heart beat. Mine would go as fast as 250 bpm and last for up to an hour. I also have PACs. SVT is preceded by a PAC. What happens is that your heart fires an electrical pulse from somewhere in the upper chambers of the  heart, the atrials instead of the SA node where it should start. This is an early beat and may feel like a pause in the beat or even an extra beat when the SA node fires and you have two that feel like they're together. When I had the super early PAC (premature atrial contraction), the impulse set off the SVT. I had AVNRT type of SVT where the impulse would go round and round the AV node causing the tachycardia. PACs in themselves are not life threatening, just annoying especially for those who have thousands of them a day. I probably have as many as you do. Good choice to stop the caffeine and sugar. Chocolate also gets me going sometimes as well as not enough sleep, going too long without eating, MSG, too many carbs early in the day. Stress is the biggest culprit.  I take magnesium for mine which seems to help calm the heart. I would suggest starting a journal of when your'e having them and what your eating, drinking, supplements, and activities your involved in.

[mkh9]

Hi and thanks so much for responding. I am nervous and have anxiety for several reasons, besides the PAC's I have chronic back pain, and a toe nail bed infection. So, I get the echo tomorrow and then the toe is being dealt with Thursday. What is an SVT? I don't think I have VT now but wonder how likely it is with PAC's to get it? Wow 8000 of these a day! That is  a lot. Someone here said that the mitral value if it is  minor they don't treat for it. I hope I don't have it or anything else. Sorry you have this too.
Good to have people here to talk to.
mkh9

[lds001]

I am so sorry you are feeling badly.  I have had PAC's for 25 years...among other arrthymias.  They ARE benign.  Its good you are getting more testing to rule out everything..  104 PAC's in 24 hours is extremely low....there are people on this Forum that have 8000 and more per day.   Also, pretty sure you dont have VT...VT tachycardia is alot different than run of the mill SVT.......which I have as wellbut its best to have all things checked out.  I also have anxiety...which can easily cause these "beats".    
I dont know much aabout Mitral Valve....but good luck with your tests!  Keep us posted.