palpitations.

[Wocket]

Does Anyone get palpitations and does anyone know if this is related to PBC?

[DonnaBoll Administrator]

I have had problems with fairly significant palpitations in the past. I did see a cardiologist just to be sure if it was a cardiac problem. For me, it was... now much better. For something like this, I would strongly suggest you see one as well. Women have very different symptoms from men. This would give you peace of mind. We all too often make the mistake of blaming everything on PBC. It may be the side effect of another medication you take... just check it out. Let us know...

[gwillistexas]

I have mitral valve prolapse but very rarely feel a palpitation from it. My dr switched my generic thyroid med to name brand, Synthroid, and palpitations were regular day and night. I went back to generic and it stopped.

[Candy12]

I have benign ectopic beats which is not related to anything. However you must get them checked out , I had an ECG and then wore a heart monitor for 24 hours, so it’s quite easy to check for the reason behind palpitations and can be done by the GP. To answer your question I always understood there were no heart implications from PBC, so it’s not likely to be related.

[DonnaBoll Administrator]

In thinking back on the palpitation situation, my cardiologist asked me if I had sleep apnea. I told him yes but never had had a sleep apnea test. He felt strongly that most of the palpitations were from that. I did an 'in home' sleep study to easily confirm it. My palpitations are much less since wearing a CPAP machine. I was reluctant for a long time.. now I sleep so much better too. Just a thought...

[Wocket in reply to DonnaBoll]

I don’t think I have sleep apnea but I sleep badly. I was wondering if it was that I don’t drink enough.

[DonnaBoll Administrator in reply to Wocket]

Do you snore? That can be a sign of sleep apnea... for sure check it out though with a cardiologist or at least your primary. I tossed and turned all night long... likely I was having trouble breathing because of the apnea. Let us know.

[Cstar1079 in reply to Wocket]

You don’t have to snore to have sleep apnea. They can also be caused by drinking TOO much water. Water can deplete your electrolytes. Electrolytes play a HUGE part in palpitations. I wouldn’t take any supplements like potassium or magnesium unless directed by a Dr. and you definitely should get it checked out. However drinking a Gatorade, pedialyte, or something like that won’t hurt. I’ve also been told to bear down like you’re pushing for a few seconds and it does help sometimes.

[Wocket in reply to Cstar1079]

Thank you. Maybe it’s because I’m on a very strict diet (doctors say I have to lose 10% of my weight) I will definitely try Gatorade. Palpitations thankfully don’t last long but I hate the feeling.

[Turquoise2075]

Hi Wocket, I have mitral valve prolapse which I mostly don’t feel or notice, except when I have a migraine and then it becomes pronounced. Both MVP and migraine are associated with autonomic dysfunction. There is actually some association apparently between PBC, autonomic dysfunction and cardiovascular effects which I just found an older journal article on which I tried to paste here but couldn’t. But if you google the following you should see it:

Impaired cardiovascular function in primary biliary cirrhosis 2010 (In American Journal of Physiology).

There are many research articles on PBC and autonomic dysfunction. In 2021 I had a heart ultrasound and cardio stress test after an ECG showed some abnormalities. My heart performed great on the stress test but showed mitral valve regurgitation on the ultrasound. You could have your doctor order some tests just to rule things out.

[Turquoise2075 in reply to Turquoise2075]

P.S. Keep in mind the research paper above is from an old study. So perhaps you could check in with the PBC Foundation about the latest research.

[Wocket in reply to Turquoise2075]

Thank you for this information. I hate trying to see a doctor because it is so hard to get an appointment where I live but I think I’m just going to have to bite the bullet 😁

[Turquoise2075]

Hello again, it’s probably good to check things out. If it is something like mitral valve regurgitation I think it is quite common and a mild issue for most people. Also, it may have no link with PBC. I just found the autonomic link interesting and I seem to have a lot of issues linked with autonomic dysfunction including fibromyalgia as well. In my case I feel like the autonomic dysfunction seems to link everything together.

[Wilderswimmer]

Hi I believe it's rare but there are other conditions related to the AMA M2 antibody, that can cause significant heart problems. Have a look at this: pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/345...

[Wocket in reply to Wilderswimmer]

Thanks for the information

[ninjagirlwebb]

It could be an overactive thyroid. Get the TSH bloodwork checked.