Benign Arrhythmias (Palpitations) Quiz
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Heart palpitations
Off-balance like floating
Shortness of breath
Have chest pain
Heart is beating fast and regularly
Irregular palpitations
Irregular heartbeat
Not seeing your symptoms? No worries!
What is Benign Arrhythmias (Palpitations)?
Arrhythmias are issues with the rate or rhythm of your heartbeat, where it might beat too slowly, too fast, or with an irregular pattern. Benign arrhythmias are heartbeat irregularities that do not cause any symptoms. Causes include certain medications, caffeine, nicotine, alcohol, cocaine, inhaled aerosols, diet pills, stress, etc.
Typical Symptoms of Benign Arrhythmias (Palpitations)
- Irregular heartbeat
- Pounding, rapid or fluttering heartbeat related to breathing
- Difficulty breathing
- Heart pounding
- Pounding, rapid or fluttering heartbeat when working
- Chest pain
- Abnormal heartbeat after drinking tea or coffee
- Irregular heart pounding
Diagnostic Questions for Benign Arrhythmias (Palpitations)
Your doctor may ask these questions to check for this disease:
- Have you been experiencing an irregular heartbeat?
- Are the palpitations related to your breathing?
- Are you experiencing difficulty breathing?
- Is your heart pounding?
- Do you experience more palpitations while working?
Treatment of Benign Arrhythmias (Palpitations)
Since it is asymptomatic, benign arrhythmias are usually monitored by a doctor without active treatment. Medications and other treatments may be needed for symptomatic arrhythmias.
Reviewed By:
Osler Jay Justo Guzon, MD (Cardiology)
Dr. Guzon graduated from the University of Missouri-Kansas City School of Medicine with a BLA and MD. He then completed his Internal Medicine Residency at St. Louis University before a fellowship in Cardiovascular Diseases at the University of Missouri-Columbia. He has since working as an invasive cardiologist with a particular interest in preventative medicine and cardiometabolic disease. Over the past several years, Dr. Guzon has served on the speaker bureaus of AstraZeneca, Lilly, Boehringer-Ingelheim, and Aralez.
Tatsuya Shiraishi, MD (Cardiology)
Dr. Shiraishi graduated from the Kyoto University School of Medicine. He worked as a cardiologist at Edogawa Hospital, and after joining Ubie, he became the Director of East Nihonbashi Internal Medicine Clinic.
Content updated on Feb 13, 2025
Following the Medical Content Editorial Policy
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People with similar symptoms also use Ubie's symptom checker to find possible causes
- I have heart arrhythmia
- Pulse feels irregular
- Signs of arrhythmia
- Shortness of breath when lying down
- Breathing out is easy but breathing in is difficult
- Irregular heartbeat while resting
- Wake up in the middle of the night with shortness of breath
- Feeling that I am suffocating and will die from the breathlessness
- Shortness of breath in the morning
- My heart races when I exercise
- Short of breath because of rapid breathing
- Palpitation when breathing in
- Shallow breathing
- Breathing in is easy and breathing out is difficult
- Heart beating fast with high blood pressure
See full list
Symptoms Related to Benign Arrhythmias (Palpitations)
Diseases Related to Benign Arrhythmias (Palpitations)
FAQs
Q.
Heart Palpitations After 65: Normal Aging or a Warning Sign?
A.
Palpitations after 65 are common and often harmless from things like extra beats, caffeine, dehydration, or stress, but frequent, new, or persistent episodes can also signal atrial fibrillation or other heart, thyroid, blood, or infectious problems; red flags like chest pain, shortness of breath, dizziness, or fainting need urgent care. There are several factors to consider, and evaluation and treatment range from lifestyle changes and medication review to ECG, blood tests, and heart monitoring, so see below for the full checklist of warning signs, what doctors look for, and practical next steps to guide your care.
References:
* Strait, J. B., & Lakatta, E. G. (2019). Aging and Cardiovascular Disease: A Review of Cellular and Molecular Mechanisms. *Frontiers in Physiology*, *10*, 1243. https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/31680956/
* Camm, A. J., & Camm, J. (2013). Atrial Fibrillation in the Elderly: Risk Factors, Management, and Anticoagulation. *Arrhythmia & Electrophysiology Review*, *2*(2), 85–91. https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/26834849/
* Krahn, A. D., Healey, J. S., & Benditt, D. G. (2013). Risk stratification of patients with palpitations: the Canadian Cardiovascular Society/Canadian Heart Rhythm Society position paper. *Canadian Journal of Cardiology*, *29*(4), 384–391. https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/23537877/
* Das, J. K., Dhiman, N. P., & Das, S. K. (2017). Palpitations: Etiology, prognosis and management. *Indian Heart Journal*, *69*(1), S15-S22. https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/28228308/
* Indik, J. H. (2017). Evaluation of the patient with palpitations. *Trends in Cardiovascular Medicine*, *27*(2), 117–123. https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/27856002/
Q.
Heart Palpitations in Women: Anxiety or Heart Concern?
A.
Heart palpitations in women are often linked to anxiety, stress, or hormonal shifts, but they can sometimes signal arrhythmias or medical issues such as thyroid problems or anemia. Seek prompt care if they occur with chest pain, fainting, persistent shortness of breath, during exertion, last more than a few minutes, or if you have heart disease or a family history of sudden cardiac death; there are several factors to consider, and key details that can guide your next steps are outlined below.
References:
* Weber BE, Chung EK. Approach to the Patient With Palpitations. Am Fam Physician. 2018 Jun 1;97(11):727-735. PMID: 29851080.
* Bharmal A, Singh YK, Vashisht R, Kaur J. Common Causes of Palpitations and Their Evaluation. Cureus. 2020 May 2;12(5):e7930. doi: 10.7759/cureus.7930. PMID: 32483864; PMCID: PMC7264878.
* Sarapcioglu T, Toprak H, Ozturk Z, Uysal E. Anxiety and depression in patients with palpitations and normal heart. J Ment Health. 2016 Feb;25(1):79-83. doi: 10.3109/09638237.2015.1097237. Epub 2015 Nov 30. PMID: 26622434.
* Poudel S, Adhikari A, Thapa S, Singh M, Parajuli S, Thapaliya B, Khanal P, Koirala A. Cardiac Palpitations: Current Diagnostic and Management Strategies. Cureus. 2022 Oct 10;14(10):e30121. doi: 10.7759/cureus.30121. PMID: 36382025; PMCID: PMC9642284.
* Emami S, Vahidi-Moghadam B, Emami A. Prevalence of anxiety and depression in patients with cardiac arrhythmia. J Arrhythm. 2019 Feb;21(1):154-158. doi: 10.1007/s10840-019-00504-w. Epub 2019 Jan 30. PMID: 30704996; PMCID: PMC6370487.
Q.
Palpitations Over 65: When to See a Cardiac Specialist
A.
Adults over 65 should see a cardiac specialist when palpitations are new, frequent or worsening, last more than a few minutes, occur at rest or with minimal activity, or if there is a history of heart disease, stroke, or an abnormal EKG. Seek urgent care if palpitations come with chest pain, shortness of breath, dizziness, fainting or near fainting, sudden weakness or confusion, new exercise intolerance, or leg swelling. Brief, rare episodes that stop on their own and follow triggers like stress, caffeine, dehydration, poor sleep, or fever are usually less concerning, but there are several factors to consider; see below for tests, practical next steps, and treatment options.
References:
* Zègre-Hemsey JK, et al. Evaluation and management of palpitations in the elderly: a review. Am J Med. 2018 Oct;131(10):1153-1159. doi: 10.1016/j.amjmed.2018.06.014. Epub 2018 Jul 3.
* Hindricks G, et al. 2020 ESC Guidelines for the diagnosis and management of atrial fibrillation developed in collaboration with the European Association for Cardio-Thoracic Surgery (EACTS): The Task Force for the diagnosis and management of atrial fibrillation of the European Society of Cardiology (ESC) Developed with the special contribution of the European Heart Rhythm Association (EHRA). Eur Heart J. 2021 Feb 1;42(5):373-498. doi: 10.1093/eurheartj/ehaa612.
* Link MS. Approach to the Patient With Palpitations. JAMA. 2020 Feb 4;323(5):454-463. doi: 10.1001/jama.2019.20012.
* Zègre-Hemsey JK, et al. Palpitations: Evaluation in the Office and Emergency Department. Med Clin North Am. 2019 Jan;103(1):151-161. doi: 10.1016/j.mcna.2018.08.014.
* Lee GA, et al. Diagnosing and managing palpitations: what every general practitioner should know. Aust Prescr. 2020 Apr;43(2):50-53. doi: 10.18773/austprescr.2020.012. Epub 2020 Apr 1.
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Link to full study:
https://www.medrxiv.org/content/10.1101/2024.08.29.24312810v1References
Hannun, A. Y., Rajpurkar, P., Haghpanahi, M., Tison, G. H., ... (2019). Cardiologist-level arrhythmia detection and classification in ambulatory electrocardiograms using a deep neural network. Nature Medicine.
https://www.nature.com/articles/s41591-018-0268-3Priori, S. G., Wilde, A. A., Horie, M., Cho, Y., Behr, E. R., ... (2014). HRS/EHRA/APHRS expert consensus statement on the diagnosis and management of patients with inherited primary arrhythmia syndromes. Journal of Arrhythmia.
https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S1880427613001087Huizar, J. F., Ellenbogen, K. A., Tan, A. Y., & Kaszala, K. (2019). Arrhythmia-Induced Cardiomyopathy: JACC State-of-the-Art Review. Journal of the American.
https://www.jacc.org/doi/abs/10.1016/j.jacc.2019.02.045