What Are Heart Palpitations and What Do They Feel Like?

Family Medicine, Primary Care Roots Community Health Center, Hippo Education, Kameda Medical Center

Supervised by Kenji Taylor, MD

Heart palpitations are a sensation felt in your chest as though your heart was beating stronger or faster than usual.

Explanation

People often describe heart palpitations as a thumping or pounding sensation in the chest as though the heart were beating harder or faster than usual. While many people think palpitations originate from the heart beating faster or harder, it is a perception or feeling. Palpitations may be from a slower heart beat, skipped heart beats, extra heart beats or not be coming from your heart at all.

(References)

Govender I, Nashed KK, Rangiah S, Okeke S, Maphasha OM. Palpitations: Evaluation and management by primary care practitioners. S Afr Fam Pract (2004). 2022 Feb 24;64(1):e1-e8. doi: 10.4102/safp.v64i1.5449. PMID: 35261258; PMCID: PMC8905373.

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