Can psychological stress cause cardiac arrhythmia?

Can psychological stress cause cardiac arrhythmia?

Many of the cardiac arrhythmias can be worsened with psychological stress. During psychological stress, the stress related hormones (e.g. adrenaline, a catecholamine) is released into the bloodstream. This is due to activation of the sympathetic nervous system. Catecholamines can enhance the irritability of the heart and increase the chance of abnormal heart rhythm. There are certain heart rhythm disorders which can be specifically worsened by stress. These include certain varieties of long QT syndromes and a rare condition known as catecholaminergic polymorphic ventricular tachycardia. In these conditions, sudden psychological stress can even be life threatening. Stress can also worsen myocardial oxygen demand and worsen blood supply to regions of heart already suffering ischemia (reduced blood supply) and cause cardiac arrhythmia.