Bigeminy heart beat

[Daffodilia]

Does PMR or pred cause bigeminy heart beat?

[PMRpro Ambassador]

Has it been diagnosed as true bigeminy (as opposed to ectopic beats) and is it atrial or ventricular in origin?

It can be a precursor to atrial fibrillation - I have paroxsysmal a/f and the cardiologist believes it was caused by the autoimmune part of PMR damaging the electrical cells in the heart that govern heart rate. I'm not sure whether other forms of arrythmia can be similarly caused but logic tells me that must be the case. Originally the palpitations I experienced started at the same sort of time as the PMR symptoms but were relatively short and mild. The doctor dismissed them because he never "saw" them - it was only when I had a really severe reaction to a drug and the a/f was identified and treated that I realised what the previous episodes had been. So they are definitely NOT due to pred which can cause raised or irregular heart rate. It has progressed and the bradycardic (slow heart rate) episodes I developed as a result are now dealt with with a pacemaker. I find extra magnesium does help reduce the episodes of a/f.

[Daffodilia in reply to PMRpro]

Thanks that is helpful. I don't know my details. I am awaiting tests and results. It showed up on an ECG recently.