What to do if premature beats are found in physical examination

  Nowadays, people are more and more positive about health checkups and pay more attention to the problems found in them. Some people who are found to have premature beats during medical checkups are worried and actively request for treatment as a result. In fact, premature beats should be differentiated and not over-treated.  Premature beats, also known as preterm contractions and extrasystoles, are the most common type of ectopic rhythm and can be divided into four types: sinus, atrial, atrioventricular junction and ventricular. Ventricular is the most common, followed by atrial, and sinus premature contractions are rare. Premature beats can occur in normal subjects, but are more likely to occur in patients with cardiac neurosis and organic heart disease. Premature beats can induce ventricular tachycardia, ventricular fibrillation and, in severe cases, sudden cardiac death.  The need for treatment of premature beats is determined by whether they are caused by organic or functional pathology. Premature beats caused by organic pathologies tend to occur more often during exercise and exertion, while those caused by non-organic pathologies tend to occur more often during quiet and resting conditions. Premature beats caused by organic pathologies such as coronary heart disease and heart failure must be treated for the primary disease. Functional premature contractions, on the other hand, are often caused by phytodysfunction, which may manifest mainly in terms of subjective sensations and do not cause substantial effects at the physiological level.  The age and gender of the patient are also often factors to be considered. For example, a 30-year-old patient with premature beats, if female, is predominantly functional. This is because women rarely suffer from cardiovascular diseases such as coronary heart disease due to the protective effect of estrogen before menopause. If it is a male, it depends on whether he has a history of smoking, family history, and the need to exclude organic diseases such as coronary heart disease. The simplest thing is to do a cardiac ultrasound to determine the size and structure of the heart, or a coronary angiogram if it is not clear.  In case of functional premature beats, if the symptoms are not obvious and only appear on the electrocardiogram, there is no need for drug treatment. In addition, it is important to maintain emotional stability and adjust the relationship between work, study and life, because high emotional tension and psychological stress are the main triggers of functional premature beats. If the symptoms are obvious and affect your work life, seek help from your doctor and take appropriate medication under guidance to relieve the symptoms. In severe cases, anti-arrhythmic drugs such as beta-blockers or radiofrequency ablation can be used.