What causes sinus arrhythmia?

Sinus arrhythmia, also known as respiratory sinus arrhythmia, is a normal variation in your heart rate. It is caused by normal variations in vagal tone. Vagal tone refers to signals from the vagus nerve. Your vagus nerve runs from your brain to your chest and abdomen. Signals from the vagus nerve help regulate your heart rate. Variations in vagal tone are common in children and will lessen, but not disappear, with age.

What are the risk factors for sinus arrhythmia?

Although it can occur at any age, sinus arrhythmia is more common in children.

INTRODUCTION

What is sinus arrhythmia?

Sinus arrhythmia is a normal variation in the beating of your heart. Having a sinus arrhythmia may sound frightening because the term arrhythmia is also used to refer to an irregular or disorganized heart rhythm, such as atrial fibrillation or ventricular fibrillation. These irregular or disorganized heart rhythms can be serious or life threatening. However, having a sinus arrhythmia is a ... Read more about sinus arrhythmia introduction

SYMPTOMS

What are the symptoms of sinus arrhythmia?

Sinus arrhythmia is a normal variation in heart rate when your heart rate cycles with your breathing. In this type of arrhythmia, your heart rate speeds up when you breathe in and slows down when you breathe out. If you have sinus arrhythmia and you know how to take your pulse, you may notice a slight change in pulse rate as you breathe in and out. Otherwise, there are generally are no symptoms of sinus arrhythmia. Most people are unaware of the condition unless a healthcare provider has pointed it out after performing a medical evaluation and an EKG.... Read more about sinus arrhythmia symptoms

TREATMENTS

How is sinus arrhythmia treated?

Because a respiratory sinus arrhythmia is a normal variation in heart rate, no treatment is needed. If you are experiencing other symptoms, such as heart palpitations or skipped heartbeats, contact your healthcare provider for proper evaluation.... Read more about sinus arrhythmia treatments

Medical Reviewer: McDonough, Brian, MD Last Annual Review Date: Jul 25, 2011 Copyright: © Copyright 2011 Health Grades, Inc. All rights reserved. May not be reproduced or reprinted without permission from Health Grades, Inc. Use of this information is governed by the HealthGrades User Agreement.

This Article is Filed Under: Heart, Blood and Circulation