I am a 46 year old male in good general health. My heart tends to skip beats occasionally...PVC-type episodes. It seems to be very much related to my stomach problems. When I have gas or acidy stomach, my stomach distends a bit and this seems to cause the palpitations. It feels as if the stomach is pressing on the heart and making it beat irregular. Am I crazy? Or is there some type of relationship between stomach distress and heart palpitations?
Dan
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Dear Dan,
There may actually be a good explanation for your symptoms. People with stomach problems often have what is called "reflux" where acid from the stomach "backs-up" into the esophagus. This leads to a heartburn sensation. The esophagus runs right next to the heart and this irritation may be increasing your palpatitions. I would see your doctor about starting medication for the stomach and you may find a "side effect" is a decrease in your palpitations.
I hope you find this information useful. Information provided in the heart forum is for general purposes only. Only your physician can provide specific diagnoses and therapies. Please feel free to write back with additional questions.
If you would like to make an appointment at the Cleveland Clinic Heart Center, please call 1-800-CCF-CARE or inquire online by using the Heart Center website at www.ccf.org/heartcenter. The Heart Center website contains a directory of the cardiology staff that can be used to select the physician best suited to address your cardiac problem.