Will long-term sinus tachycardia lead to sudden death?

Long-term sinus tachycardia mainly refers to a person's heart rate exceeding 100 beats per minute for a long time. Studies have found that excessive physical labor and excessive emotional excitement can cause this symptom; in addition, heart failure, hyperthyroidism, acute myocardial infarction, shock, acute myocarditis, etc. can also cause this disease.

1. Causes

1. Physiological factors

There are many factors that affect heart rate, such as normal human physical activity, emotional excitement, a full meal, drinking strong tea or coffee; smoking and drinking can excite the sympathetic nerves and accelerate the heart rate.

Changes in body position, such as standing up, excite the sympathetic nerves and increase the heart rate; lying down, the heart rate slows down. Sinus tachycardia caused by physiological factors is often transient and short-lived.

2. Pathological factors

(1) Heart failure

Especially in the early stages of heart failure, the heart rate often increases.

(2) Hyperthyroidism

Patients with hyperthyroidism will also experience sinus tachycardia, and the heart rate is generally 100~120 beats/minute. In severe cases, the heart rate can reach 120~140 beats/minute.

(3) Acute myocardial infarction

During the course of acute myocardial infarction, the incidence of sinus tachycardia can reach 30% to 40%.

(4) Shock

It can cause sinus tachycardia, and the heart rate can reach more than 100 beats/minute in mild shock; in severe shock, the heart rate is even faster, exceeding 120 beats/minute.

(5) Acute myocarditis

Most patients may experience sinus tachycardia that is out of proportion to the increase in body temperature.

(6) Others

Sinus tachycardia may occur in cases of anemia, fever, infection, hypoxia, autonomic dysfunction, and after cardiac surgery.

2. Long-term sinus tachycardia has the following effects

1. Patients with sinus tachycardia may experience symptoms such as palpitations and dizziness.

2. When patients with sinus tachycardia encounter emotionally exciting things in life, their hearts will shift to tachycardia, and they will experience symptoms such as palpitations, heart rate disorders, dizziness, fatigue, fainting, etc. Therefore, it has a great impact on the patients' lives, and they need to make timely psychological adjustments or use drugs to help the heartbeat return to normal.

3. Patients with sinus tachycardia do not have very serious organic diseases of the heart, but long-term tachycardia will also bring many side effects to patients, such as hypertension, myocardial ischemia and other symptoms, which endanger the health of patients.