World Heart Rhythm Week, observed annually from June 3rd to June 9th, is a global initiative aimed at raising awareness about heart rhythm disorders and promoting cardiovascular health

Arrhythmias include many conditions such as bradycardias and tachycardias. Additional heart rhythm disorders are:

• Adams-Stokes Disease
• Atrial flutter
• Sick sinus syndrome
• Sinus arrhythmia
• Wolff-Parkinson-White Syndrome

Adams-Stokes Disease

Adams-Stokes Disease, also called Stokes-Adams disease, refers to a heart block or other arrhythmia that can slow the heart rate considerably, causing fainting (syncope) or convulsions. It’s caused when the heart’s electrical signals are interrupted as they pass from the upper (atria) to the lower (ventricles) chambers.

Atrial flutter

Atrial flutter occurs when rapidly firing electrical signals cause the muscles in the heart’s upper chambers (atria) to contract at a very rapid rate (250 to 350 times per minute). This leads to an overly fast heartbeat, which can have either a regular or irregular rhythm.

Atrial flutter is much less common than atrial fibrillation (AFib or AF), but its causes and consequences are similar. Patients with atrial flutter can also have periods of atrial fibrillation.

Symptoms of atrial flutter

Atrial flutter may present with a heartbeat that’s overly fast, irregular or with heart palpitations (feeling a hard, fast or irregular heartbeat in the chest). Other symptoms include:

• Fast, steady pulse
• Chest pain (angina)
• Shortness of breath
• Weakness
• Lightheadedness
• Fainting (syncope)
• Heart palpitations
• Irregular heart rhythm combined with AFib
• Stroke

If you experience these symptoms and think you may have atrial flutter, contact your health care professional immediately.

Comorbidities and Risk Factors

Atrial flutter is often associated with other conditions such as:

• Heart failure
• Previous heart attack
• Open-heart (bypass) surgery
• Heart valve surgery
• Valve abnormalities or congenital defects
• High blood pressure
• Atrial fibrillation
• Thyroid dysfunction
• Alcoholism (especially binge drinking)
• Chronic lung disease
• Diabetes
• Smoking
• Previous stroke

Learn more about atrial flutter.

Sick sinus syndrome

When the sinus node (also called the sinoatrial or SA node) doesn’t produce its electrical signals properly, the heart rate slows down, pauses or speeds up. This is referred to as sick sinus syndrome.

In this condition, the heart rate can fluctuate between an overly slow rate (bradycardia) and an overly fast rate (tachycardia).

Sinus arrhythmia

Common in children, this type of irregular heart rhythm refers to changes in the heart rate during breathing. The heart rate speeds up for a few beats during inhalation and slows down during exhalation. Sinus arrhythmia is normal.

Wolff-Parkinson-White Syndrome (WPW)

In this disorder, the electrical pathways between the heart’s upper (atria) and lower (ventricles) chambers malfunction. This allows electrical signals to reach the ventricles too early. Those electrical impulses can then be “bounced back” to the atria.

This can produce overly fast heart rates. Other people with WPW Syndrome may not experience any overt symptoms, but still face serious risk.

Some people with WPW also have atrial fibrillation.

Diagnosis and treatment

Your health care professional can detect WPW Syndrome through an electrocardiogram (EKG or ECG). This non-invasive test can reveal irregularities in your heart rhythm.

Your treatment plan will depend on several factors, including your risk of future arrhythmias as well as the frequency and severity of your symptoms. People who don’t experience symptoms may not require treatment.

Possible treatment options for WPW Syndrome may include:

• Medications that regulate heart rhythm
• Cardioversion
• Ablation
• Open heart surgery

Ablation is the most common treatment for WPW Syndrome. It has a high success rate and a low risk of complications.

www.heart.org

What is Rheumatic fever?

Rheumatic fever is a disease that my develop after and infection with group A streptococcus bacteria (such as strep throat or scarlet fever). It can cause severe illness in the heart, joints, skin, and brain.

Causes

Rheumatic fever is still common in countries that have a lot of poverty and poor health systems. Rheumatic fever occurs after infections with a germ or bacteria called Streptococcus pyogenes or group A streptococcus. This germ appears to trick the immune system into attacking healthy tissues in the body. These tissues become swollen or inflamed.

This abnormal reaction seems to almost always occur with strep throat or scarlet fever. Strep infections that involve other parts of the body do not seem to trigger rheumatic fever.

Symptoms

Rheumatic fever mainly affects children ages 5 to 15 who have had strep throat or scarlet fever. If it occurs, it develops about 14 to 28 days after these illnesses.

• Fever
• Nosebleeds
• Pain in abdomen
• Heart problems, which may have no symptoms, or may lead to shortness of breath and chest pain
• Joint pain
• Ring-shaped or snake-like skin rash on the trunk and upper part of the arms or legs
• Skin lumps or nodules

How is it treated?

If you or your child is diagnosed with acute rheumatic fever, you or your child will be treated with antibiotics. The goal of this treatment is to remove all of the strep bacteria from the body.

After the first treatment is complete, more antibiotics are prescribed. The goal of theses medicines is to prevent rheumatic fever from recurring.

• All children will continue the antibiotics until age 21.
• Teenagers and young adults will need to take antibiotics for at least 5 years.

If you or your child had heart problems when the rheumatic fever occurred, antibiotics may be needed for even longer, perhaps for life.

To help manage swelling of inflamed tissues during acute rheumatic fever, medicines such as aspirin or corticosteroids may be needed. For problems with abnormal movements or abnormal behaviors, medicines often used to treat seizures may be prescribed.

Prevention

• Wash your hands often. If available, use soap and water, washing for at least 20 seconds. Or use an alcohol-based hand sanitizer that has at least 60% alcohol.
• The most important way to prevent rheumatic fever is by getting quick treatment for strep throat and scarlet fever.
• Avoid touching your face. Avoid touching your  eyes, nose and mouth.
• Clean and disinfect surfaces. Regularly clean often-touched surfaces to prevent spread of infection from a surface with virus on it to your body.
• Avoid contact with the virus. Try to avoid people who are sick or have symptoms of flu. And if you have symptoms, stay home if you can. When flu is spreading, consider keeping distance between yourself and others while indoors, especially in areas with poor air flow. If you’re at high risk of complications form the flu consider avoiding swine barns at seasonal fairs and elsewhere.
• When infected, or in contact with infected persons, wear a mask.

Information courtesy of Medline Clinic

What is Hepatitis?

Hepatitis is an inflammation of the liver that is caused by a variety of infectious viruses and noninfectious agents leading to a range of health problems, some which can be fatal. There are five main strains of the hepatitis virus, referred to as types A,B,C,D and E. While they all cause liver disease, they differ in important ways including modes of transmission, severity of the illness, geographical distribution and prevention methods, (WHO,2024).

Causes

Hepatitis can be caused by:

• Immune cells in the body attacking the liver
• Infections from viruses (such as hepatitis A, hepatitis B, or hepatitis C), bacteria, or parasites
• Liver damage from alcohol or poison
• Medicines, such as an overdose of acetaminophen
• Fatty liver

Liver disease can also be caused by inherited disorders such as cystic fibrosis or hemochromatosis, a condition that involves having too much iron in your body. Other causes include Wilson disease, a disorder in which the body retains too much comer and ingestion of toxic mushrooms(Penn Medicine, 2024)

Symptoms

Hepatitis may start and get better quickly. It may also become a long-term condition. In some cases, hepatitis may lead to liver damage, liver failure, cirrhosis, liver cancer or even death. There are several factors that can affect how severe the condition is. Hepatitis A, for example, is most often short-term and does not lead to chronic liver problems.

• Pain or bloating in the belly area
• Dark urine and pale or clay-colored stools
• Fatigue
• Low grade fever
• Itching
• Jaundice (yellowing of the skin or eyes)
• Loss of appetite
• Nausea and vomiting
• Weight loss

(Penn Medicine, 2024)

How is it treated?

• Your health care provider will talk to you about treatment options. Treatments will vary, depending on the cause of your liver disease. You may need to eat a high-calorie diet if you are losing weight.

Hepatitis A

• No specific treatment exists for hepatitis A. Your body will clear the hepatitis A virus on its own. In most cases of hepatitis A, the liver heals within six months with no lasting damage
• Hepatitis A treatment usually focuses on keeping comfortable and controlling symptoms. You may need to:
  • Rest. many people with hepatitis A feel tired and sick and have less energy.
  • Get adequate food and liquid. Eat a balanced healthy diet. Nausea can make it difficult to eat. Try snacking throughout the day rather than eating full meals. To get enough calories, eat more high-calorie foods. For instance, drink fruit juice or milk rather than water. Drinking plenty of fluids is important to prevent dehydration, especially if vomiting or diarrhea occurs.
  • Avoid alcohol and use medications with care. Your liver may have difficulty processing medications and alcohol. If you have hepatitis, don’t drink alcohol. It can cause liver damage. Talk to your health care provider about all the medications you take, including medications available without a prescription (Mayo Clinic,2024)

• Hepatitis B:
  • Vaccination. Healthcare providers recommend an immediate dose of the hepatitis B vaccine if you haven’t had it yet, preferably within 24 hours of exposure. You’ll need two more doses over the next six months to become fully vaccinated against the virus.
  • Hepatitis B immune globulin (HBIG). HBIG is a substance made from human blood containing naturally-produced antibodies to the hepatitis B virus. It’s given as a shot to help prevent infection in people who’ve recently been exposed to the virus.
  • These treatments are very effective in preventing babies born to parents with chronic hepatitis B from becoming infected. Infants who receive these treatment shortly after birth have a good prognosis and they can safely breastfeed. (Cleveland Clinic, 2024)

Prevention

Some types of hepatitis are preventable through vaccination. A WHO study found that an estimated 4.5 million premature deaths could be prevented in low- and middle-income countries by 2023 through vaccination, diagnostic tests, medicines and education campaigns. WHO’s global hepatitis strategy, endorsed by all WHO Member States, aims to reduce new hepatitis infections by 90% and deaths by 65% between 2016 and 2030. (WHO,2024)

Steps for preventing the spread of hepatitis B and C from one person to another include:

• Avoid sharing personal items, such as razors or toothbrushes.
• DO NOT share drug needles or other drug equipment (such as straws for snorting drugs).
• Clean blood spills with a mixture of 1 part household bleach to 9 parts water.
• DO NOT get tattoos or body piercings with instruments that have not been cleaned properly.

To reduce your risk for spreading or catching hepatitis A:

• Always wash your hands well after using the restroom, and when you come in contact with an infected person’s blood, stools, or other bodily fluid.
• Avoid unclean food and water.

(Penn Medicine, 2024)

Information courtesy of WHO, Penn Medicine, Cleveland Clinic and Mayo Clinic.

What is Swine Flu?

H1N1 flu is also known as swine flu. It’s called swine flu because in the past, the people who caught it had direct contact with pigs. That changed several years ago, when a new virus emerged that spread among people who hadn’t been near pigs.

How do you catch it?

The same way as the seasonal flu. When people who have it cough or sneeze, they spray tiny drops of the virus into the air. If you come in contact with these drops, touch a surface (like a doorknob or sink) where the drops landed, or touch something an infected person has recently touched, you can catch H1N1 swine flu.

People who have it can spread it one day before they have any symptoms and as many as 7 days after they get sick. Kids can be contagious for as long as 10 days.

Symptoms

These, too, are pretty much the same as seasonal flu.  They can include:

• Cough
• Fever
• Sore throat
• Stuffy or runny nose
• Body aches
• Headache
• Chills
• Fatigue

Like the regular flu, swine flu can lead to more serious problems including pneumonia, a lung infection, and other breathing problems. And it can make an illness like diabetes or asthma worse. If you have symptoms like shortness of breath, severe vomiting, pain in your belly or sides, dizziness or confusion, call your doctor.

How is it treated

Some of the same antiviral drugs that are used to treat seasonal flu also work against H1N1 swine flu. Oseltamivir (Tamiflu), peramivir (Rapivab), and zanamivir (Relenza) seem to work best, although some kinds of swine flu don’t respond to oseltamivir.

These drugs can help you get well faster. They can also make you feel better. They work best when you take them within 48 hours of the first flu symptoms, but they can help you even if you get them later on.

Antibiotics won’t do anything for you. That’s because flu is caused by a virus, not bacteria. Over-the-counter pain remedies and cold and flu medications can help relieve aches, pains, and fever. Don’t give aspirin to children under age 18 because of the risk of Reye’s syndrome. Make sure that over-the-counter cold medications do not have aspirin before giving them to children.

Prevention

• Wash your hands often. If available, use soap and water, washing for at least 20 seconds. Or use an alcohol-based hand sanitizer that has at least 60% alcohol.
• Cover your coughs and sneezes. Cough or sneeze into a tissue or your elbow. Then wash your hands.
• Avoid touching your face. Avoid touching your eyes, nose and mouth.
• Clean and disinfect surfaces. Regularly clean often-touched surfaces to prevent spread of infection from a surface with the virus on it to your body.
• Avoid contact with the virus. Try to avoid people who are sick or have symptoms of flu. And if you have symptoms, stay home if you can. When flu is spreading, consider keeping distance between yourself and others while indoors, especially in areas with poor air flow. If you’re at high risk of complications from the flu consider avoiding swine barns at seasonal fairs and elsewhere.
• When infected, or in contact with infected persons, wear a mask.

Information courtesy of Mayo Clinic and WebMD

What is RSV?

Respiratory syncytial virus (RSV) causes infections of the lungs and respiratory tract. It’s so common that most children have been infected with the virus by age 2. Respiratory syncytial (sin-SISH-ul) virus can also infect adults.

Symptoms

Signs and symptoms of RSV infection most commonly appear about four to six days after exposure to the virus. In adults and older children, RSV usually causes mild cold-like signs and symptoms. These may include:

• Congested or runny nose
• Dry cough
• Low-grade fever
• Sore throat
• Sneezing
• Headache

Causes

• RSV enters the body through the eyes, nose or mouth. It spreads easily through the air on infected respiratory droplets. You or your child can become infected if someone with RSV coughs or sneezes near you. The virus also passes to other through direct contact, such as shaking hands.
• The virus can live for hours on hard objects such as countertops, crib rails and toys. Touch your mouth, nose or eyes after touching a contaminated object and you’re likely to pick up the virus.
• An infected person is most contagious during the first week or so after infection. But in infants and those with weakened immunity, the virus may continue to spread even after symptoms go away, for up to four weeks.

Risk Factors

• By age 2, most children will have been infected with RSV, but they can get infected by the virus more than once. Children who attend child care centers or who have siblings who attend school are at a higher risk of exposure and reinfection. RSV season – when outbreaks tend to occur- is the fall to the end of spring.
• People at increased risk of severe of sometimes life threatening RSV infections include:
  • Infants, especially premature infants or babies who are 6 months or younger
  • Children who have heart disease that’s present from birth (congenital heart disease) or chronic lung disease
  • Children or adults with weakened immune systems from diseases such as Cancer or treatment such as Chemotherapy
  • Children who have neuromuscular disorders, such as muscular dystrophy
  • Adults with heart disease or lung disease
  • Older adults, especially those age 65 and older

Complications

• Hospitalization. A severe RSV infection may require a hospital stay so that doctors can monitor and treat beathing problems and give intravenous (IV) fluids.
• Pneumonia. RSV is the most common cause of inflammation of the lungs (pneumonia) or the lungs’ airways (bronchiolitis) in infants. These complications can occur when the virus spreads to the lower respiratory tract.
• Middle ear infection. If germs enter the space behind the eardrum, you can get a middle ear infection (otitis media). This happens most frequently in babies and young children.
• Asthma. There may be a link between severe RSV in children and the chance of developing asthma later in life.
• Repeated infections. Once you’ve had RSV, you could get infected again. It’s even possible for it to happen during the same RSV season. However, symptoms usually aren’t severe – typically it’s in the form of a common cold. But they can be serious in older adults or in people with chronic heart or lung disease.

Prevention

These lifestyle habits can help prevent the spread of this infection:

• Wash your hands often. Teach your children the importance of hand-washing.
• Avoid exposure. Cover your mouth and nose when you cough or sneeze. Limit your baby’s contact with people who have fevers or colds.
• Keep things clean. Make sure kitchen and bathroom countertops, doorknobs, and handles are clean. Put used tissues in the trash right away.
• Don’t share drinking glasses with others. Use your own glass or disposable cups when you or someone else is sick. Label each person’s cup.
• Don’t smoke. Babies who are exposed to tobacco smoke have a higher risk of getting RSV and potentially more-severe symptoms. If you do smoke never do so inside the house or car.
• Wash toys regularly. Do this especially when your child or a playmate is sick.

Information courtesy of Mayo Clinic and WebMD