What Are Palpitations?
Provided by
ehealthMD.com
Palpitations are the awareness that your heart is beating forcefully, rapidly, or irregularly. There often is a feeling of "skipping beats" or "fluttering in the chest." They can occur in normal healthy people, as well as in people with heart problems.
Palpitations can be very frightening. But most palpitations do not indicate underlying heart disease. If you are having palpitations, there is a good chance that nothing is seriously wrong.
Normally, people do not notice their hearts beating. But palpitations are common in everyday life and can happen to anybody, regardless of whether the person has an underlying heart abnormality.
Usually, palpitations do not last long. They are more likely to happen as you get older, although young people can have them too. Often, the cause of palpitations that do not require medical treatment cannot be determined.
A variety of painless tests are available to help your doctor determine whether or not you need medical treatment.
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[Disclaimer] The information provided by the OCHeart.org website is intended for educational and convenience purposes only. It should not be used for diagnosing or treating a health problem and is not intended as a substitute for medical care or physician consultation. If you have -- or think that you have, a health problem or disease, you should consult your doctor or health care provider directly.
