[Medical Q&A] Are premature heart beats a sign of the heart being “lazy”?

Planner: Chinese Medical Association

Reviewer: Fan Yifan, Chief Physician, Beijing Chaoyang Hospital, Capital Medical University

Premature heart beats, medically known as premature contractions, are a type of arrhythmia. It refers to a sudden extra beat of the heart outside of normal beating, that is, the heart contracts once in advance. Premature heart beats can originate from the atria, ventricles, or atrioventricular junctions, affecting the normal rhythm of the heart, which may cause a series of symptoms, such as palpitations, chest tightness, or chest pain. The occurrence of premature heart beats may be related to a variety of factors, including mental stress, excessive fatigue, heavy smoking, drinking, drinking strong tea or coffee, as well as coronary heart disease, cardiomyopathy, myocarditis, heart valve disease and other heart diseases. Hyperthyroidism, side effects of certain drugs (such as digitalis drugs, antidepressants, etc.), electrolyte disorders (hypokalemia, hypomagnesemia), etc. can also lead to the occurrence of premature heart beats. It can be seen that premature heart beats are not the heart being "lazy", but an abnormal manifestation of cardiac electrophysiological activity.

If you find premature heart beats, don't panic. Premature heart beats without obvious symptoms or only occur occasionally usually do not require special treatment. As long as you adjust your lifestyle, such as ensuring adequate sleep, avoiding excessive fatigue, reducing the intake of irritating foods, and relaxing, the premature beats may be alleviated or disappear on their own. However, if premature beats occur frequently and are accompanied by symptoms such as palpitations, chest tightness, dizziness, blackouts, or even fainting, you must seek medical attention in time. Complete electrocardiogram, dynamic electrocardiogram and other examinations to clarify the type and severity of premature beats, and then decide whether drug treatment, radiofrequency ablation treatment and other measures are needed based on the specific situation.