Can anxiety or infection cause an increase in heart rate?

Question

Hello doctor,

I am a 28-year-old female. I do not smoke, play sports, or drink alcohol. I have borderline blood pressure (130/85 mmHg) at rest and suffer from tachycardia at rest. I often experience ventricular extrasystoles, frequent bigeminy, and occasional VT. My heart beats very fast and loudly at rest, without exercise, and I sometimes have chest pain. When I was a child, an echocardiogram showed mild mitral regurgitation, but I have not had any other exams since. I had an EKG done a few days ago, and it showed a very fast heart rate at rest. I would like an opinion on my EKG and what it indicates.

Please advise.

Answer 1

Hello,

Welcome to icliniq.com.

Your EKG (attachment removed to protect patient identity) shows sinus tachycardia and possibly left ventricular hypertrophy. As you mentioned having mild valvular leakage, there could be other underlying issues as well. Therefore, I recommend that you undergo an echocardiogram. If your heart rate remains elevated most of the time, I also suggest having an ambulatory EKG (electrocardiogram) for 24 hours.

The investigations to be done are CBC (complete blood count), TSH (thyroid-stimulating hormone), echocardiogram (echo), 24-hour Holter monitoring, and ESR (erythrocyte sedimentation rate).

Tachycardia can sometimes be caused by anxiety, pain, anemia, infection, or hyperthyroidism, so it is important to rule out these conditions. Please follow up after completing the recommended tests within 10 days, so we can provide more accurate guidance and treatment.

I hope this helps you.

Thank you.