What is the difference between palpitations and tachycardia?
Disease description:
The discomfort of heart palpitations, with a feeling of chest tightness during attacks. The village doctor diagnosed it as "heart palpitations" (心慌), but I felt somewhat uneasy and went to a major hospital for a checkup, where the doctor diagnosed it as arrhythmia (心悸). I would like to ask what the difference is between arrhythmia (心悸) and heart palpitations (心慌).
Doctor's answer (1)
Dr. He Haochen
Palpitation and heart palpitation (or "heart flutters") actually have no clear distinction in medical terminology, as they usually refer to the same sensation. Specifically:
1. Definition: Palpitation is a clinical term describing the patient's subjective discomfort of heartbeat awareness; heart palpitation, on the other hand, is a common term often used to describe discomfort caused by sudden changes in heart rate or rhythm, such as skipped heartbeats or sudden increases in heart rate.
2. Symptoms: Both may present symptoms including rapid heartbeat, anxiety, chest tightness, and shortness of breath. In severe cases, symptoms may also include dizziness, fatigue, sweating, and even fainting.
3. Causes: Both can be triggered by the same causes, such as anxiety, arrhythmia, and metabolic disturbances.
Palpitation and heart palpitation are similar in sensation and symptoms and are often caused by the same factors. In medical practice, they are often regarded as different expressions of the same phenomenon.
