Palpitations
Sensation of fast, irregular or forceful heartbeat. Often benign (anxiety, caffeine, exercise) — but the lab work-up rules out thyroid disease, anaemia and electrolyte derangement.
What it means
Palpitations are the conscious awareness of your heartbeat — typically described as racing, pounding, fluttering, skipping or thumping. Most palpitations are benign — anxiety, caffeine, alcohol, stress, exercise, fever, dehydration. Pathological causes include cardiac arrhythmias (atrial fibrillation, supraventricular tachycardia, ventricular ectopy), endocrine disease (hyperthyroidism, phaeochromocytoma), anaemia, electrolyte derangement, and stimulant medication. The lab work narrows the metabolic and haematologic causes; ECG and Holter monitor narrow the cardiac.
Common causes
- Anxiety, caffeine, stress — most common; reproducible with triggers.
- Hyperthyroidism — palpitations with weight loss, heat intolerance, tremor.
- Anaemia — particularly iron-deficiency anaemia with reduced exercise tolerance.
- Atrial fibrillation — irregular and often rapid heartbeat; common with age.
- Electrolyte derangement — low potassium or magnesium, especially with diuretic use.
- Stimulant medication — decongestants, ADHD medications, beta-agonist inhalers, illicit drugs.
- Cardiac arrhythmias — supraventricular and ventricular ectopy.
- Phaeochromocytoma — rare; episodic hypertension and palpitations.
Lab work-up approach
Mediora interprets: TSH (thyroid), hemoglobin + ferritin (anaemia), potassium + magnesium (electrolytes), creatinine (kidney function affects medications). ECG, ambulatory Holter monitoring and echocardiogram are the clinician's tools.
Tests Mediora.AI can interpret
Related conditions
When to see a doctor
Palpitations with chest pain, breathlessness, fainting or near-fainting, or in someone with known heart disease — warrant urgent evaluation. Persistent or recurrent palpitations even without alarm features warrant a primary-care visit for ECG and lab work-up.