AV Nodal Reentrant Tachycardia - Signs and Symptoms

Signs and Symptoms

The main symptom is the sudden development of rapid regular palpitations. Often, no precipitant is present, although some report development of symptoms in stressful situations, consumption of alcohol or caffeine, or other factors.

In some cases, the onset of the tachycardia is associated with a brief drop in blood pressure. When this happens, the patient may experience dizziness or rarely syncope (fainting). If the heart rate is very fast, and the patient has underlying coronary artery disease (obstruction of the arteries of the heart by atherosclerosis), chest pain similar to angina may be experienced; this pain is band- or pressure-like around the chest and often radiates to the left arm and angle of the left jaw. AVNRT is rarely life-threatening.