Cardiac arrhythmias are changes to the natural rhythm of the heart. They can be medically insignificant or rapidly fatal. Cardiac arrhythmia becomes more common as people get older. There are medicines to treat it, but not all of them are well tolerated. Further compounds are being studied to help people who develop this condition.
Disease: Cardiac arrhythmia
Last update: June 2008
Intro
FAQ: What can be done about it?
There are four main classes of medicines for cardiac arrhythmia. These work by blocking the various biochemical signals which cause the arrhythmia. However, not all the drugs are well tolerated. Also, because of the complexity of the processes that control the heart's rhythm, under certain situations the drugs may actually cause arrhythmia, so they have to be administered with caution. There is a need for improved medications.