Heart deffect or heart disease

[Samantha2009]

I am a 17 year old female. I was recently diagnosed with sinus tachycardia do to high anxiety. They havn't put me on any medication yet. But I was wondering, is sinus tachycardia a heart deffect or a heart disease? I really don't know much about it, any information the you could give me would be great! Thanks so much!

[Samantha2009]

i knew it had to do with the sinus node in your heart and how that works. So it is just an abnormally fast heart beat. And I know what my mom has isn't hereditary but see we were sick around the same time with different flus and colds so Ive always had this fear that maybe one day Ill get it also because of that. I don't think my doctor is going to put me on anything which is ok but I just want the pain to go away.Thanks for all your help!

[ireneo]

In your heart you have a sinus node (sino-atrial) that starts the heartbeat. It fires off a little electrical pulse that causes the top of the heart to contract. That signal travels down to the  AV node that in turn causes the lower part of the heart to contract. It's all called NSR: normal sinus rhythm. When you get sinus tach, all it means is the heart is beating over 100 beats per minute but the signals are still normal.

Stress or anxiety can cause a multitude of physical symptoms. Ever get a stress headache? It's caused by stress but the pain is real. Anxiety can do the same. I've had one anxiety attack in my life just days before my Dad died. I had the chest pain, weakness, short of breath, etc. but it cleared up after awhile.

If your doctor has taken a look at your heart and it appears to be healthy then all you can do is manage the anxiety. Your doctor can help you with that, give some great suggestions and perhaps you'll be able to avoid the medicine all together.

Your Mom's heart problems being caused by a virus probably mean that it won't be hereditary. You would have to catch the same virus and have it attack your heart too. That's not very common. Just take care of yourself.

[Samantha2009]

Oh so sinus tachycardia isn't either. what is it then? When ever I am upset or anxious or nervous I get severe chest pains like my chest is burning. It happens mostly at night but more often now whenever I have a certain feeling. Its kind of scary because I can't do anything to take the pain away. Do you take any medication for you PSVT. Does your heart ever hurt like that? I also have a parent with heart disease. My mother has cardiomyopathy. This is where her left valve of her heart lets the blood go in and out. The valve was damaged from a virus that got into her heart.

[ireneo]

Actually sinus tachycardia is neither one. With sinus tach the fast rhythm is coming from the sinus node which is normal. It can beat at a normal rate of 70 beats per minute for example. Or it can speed things up when you exercise, are sick or stressed. You ever have near accident in the car? Your heart speeds up and pounds. That's normal. From your anxiety your body triggers a faster heart rate.

I have PSVT. That's also a type of tachycardia but my heart will jump from 65 bpm to 180 bpm in a split second. And I may just be reading a book or strolling through the grocery store. That is not normal. I have an electrical problem in my heart. But it's still not considered heart disease.

My Dad had heart disease. His heart was damaged from heart attacks and clogged arteries. That's different from my heart or yours. Does this help?