My heart keeps beating very fast, what's going on?

Under normal circumstances, the heart beats between 80 and 100 times per minute. After strenuous exercise, it will reach about 120 times. If you always feel that your heart is beating very fast and in a panic, it is most likely caused by an illness. Common causes include alcohol withdrawal syndrome, anaphylactic shock, anemia, anxiety, arrhythmia, cholera, fever, heart failure, hypoglycemia, etc.

1. Alcohol withdrawal syndrome

Tachycardia may be accompanied by shortness of breath, sweating, fever, insomnia, anorexia, and anxiety. Such patients often have characteristic anxiety, irritability, and hallucinations.

2. Anaphylactic shock

In severe anaphylactic shock, patients may experience tachycardia and hypotension within minutes of contact with an allergen, such as penicillin or an insect sting. In this case, people often feel very anxious and itchy and may also develop hives or severe headaches. Other symptoms may include redness or coldness of the skin, cough, difficulty breathing, nausea, gastrointestinal cramps, seizures, asthma, loss of voice or change in voice due to laryngeal spasm, urinary urgency, and urinary incontinence.

3. Anemia

Tachycardia and a rapid pulse are classic signs of anemia. Other associated symptoms and signs include fatigue, pale skin, and bleeding tendency. Auscultation may reveal a gallop, carotid systolic bruit, and crackles.

4. Anxiety

Stress reactions can cause tachycardia, shortness of breath, chest pain, nausea, and dizziness. Symptoms usually disappear when the anxiety subsides.

5. Arrhythmia

Tachycardia can occur in people with irregular heart rhythms. Patients may experience symptoms such as low blood pressure, dizziness, palpitations, fatigue, and weakness. Whether the patient has shortness of breath, impaired consciousness, or cool, pale, or clammy skin depends on the patient's heart rate.

6. Cholera

This infectious disease is characterized by sudden onset of watery diarrhea and vomiting. Severe loss of body fluids and electrolytes will lead to tachycardia, thirst, weakness, muscle cramps, loose skin, oliguria and hypotension. Without prompt treatment, the patient may die within hours.

7. Fever

Fever may cause tachycardia, and the corresponding clinical manifestations may reflect the specific disease.

8. Heart failure

Especially in left heart failure, tachycardia may be accompanied by ventricular gallop, fatigue, dyspnea (exertional and paroxysmal nocturnal dyspnea), orthopnea, and lower limb edema. Eventually, the patient will develop many clinical symptoms and signs, such as palpitations, weak pulse, hypotension, tachypnea, cyanosis, dependent edema, weight gain, slow reaction, sweating, pale skin, and decreased urine output. Late-stage manifestations often include hemoptysis, cyanosis, hepatomegaly, and pitting edema.

9. Hypoglycemia

Tachycardia is a common sign of hypoglycemia, often accompanied by hypothermia, nervousness, tremor, fatigue, weakness, headache, malaise, hunger, nausea, sweating, cold skin, and central nervous system manifestations including blurred vision and diplopia, motor impairment, seizures, hemiplegia, and impaired consciousness.