What is sinus arrhythmia? Do you understand these

I believe many people know about sinus arrhythmia. Sinus arrhythmia is a heart disease that commonly occurs in young people. As living standards have improved a lot now, people’s irregular eating and rest habits will cause physical illness. Sinus arrhythmia can cause some other complications in the body. So what is sinus arrhythmia?

1. Causes

It is more common in healthy children, especially in children over 3 years old and less common in infants and young children. It often occurs when the heart rate is slow or during sleep, and the heart rhythm can become regular when the heart rate increases or when exercising or awake. Drugs such as digitalis, morphine, and beta-blockers can cause arrhythmia. It can also be seen in children with organic heart disease.

2. Clinical manifestations

Children's symptoms are milder than those of adults and they often lack complaints. Some older children may describe palpitations, chest tightness, and discomfort. Often detected by auscultation or electrocardiogram, sinus arrhythmia may be related to the respiratory cycle, which speeds up during inhalation and slows down during exhalation. Sinus arrhythmia was of no clinical significance.

3. ECG characteristics

(1) Respiratory sinus arrhythmia sinus P wave; the arrhythmia is related to breathing, slowing down during exhalation, speeding up during inhalation, and the heart rhythm becomes regular when holding the breath; on the same lead, the PP interval differs by more than 0.12 seconds;

(2) The symptoms of non-respiratory sinus arrhythmia are basically the same as those of respiratory sinus arrhythmia; the arrhythmia has nothing to do with the respiratory cycle.

4. Treatment

Sinus arrhythmia does not require treatment, but symptomatic treatment is given if an underlying disorder is present.

Classification

Sinus arrhythmia is divided into sinus tachycardia, sinus bradycardia, sinus arrhythmia, sinus arrest and sick sinus syndrome.

1. Sinus tachycardia

The normal sinus rhythm rate of an adult is >100 beats/minute, which is called sinus tachycardia. During sinus tachycardia, the PR interval, QRS and QT durations are shortened accordingly, sometimes accompanied by secondary mild ST segment depression and low T wave amplitude. It is common in situations such as exercise, mental stress, fever, hyperthyroidism, anemia, blood loss, myocarditis and the effects of adrenergic drugs.

2. Sinus bradycardia

When the sinus rhythm rate is < 60 beats/minute, it is called sinus bradycardia. The heart rate of the elderly and athletes is relatively slow. Increased intracranial pressure, hypothyroidism or the use of beta-blockers can cause sinus bradycardia. Sinus bradycardia below 40 beats/min is less common.

3. Sinus arrhythmia

The origin of sinus rhythm remains unchanged, but the rhythm is irregular, with PP interval differences >0.12s in the same lead. Sinus arrhythmia often exists simultaneously with sinus bradycardia. A more common type of arrhythmia is related to the respiratory cycle, called respiratory sinus arrhythmia, which is more common in adolescents and generally has no clinical significance. There are also some rarer sinus arrhythmias that are not related to breathing, such as (ventricular phase) sinus arrhythmia related to ventricular contraction and ejection of blood and wandering arrhythmia within the sinoatrial node.