Just as you can feel your heartbeat as your pulse at points on the body where an artery is near the surface, so you may feel palpitations at the wrist, on the side of the neck, or at other pulse points. Related symptoms Palpitations are very common and are often harmless, lasting only a few seconds or minutes, with no other symptoms. A fever due to an infection or illness can cause palpitations. Other palpitations are the result of heart disease or a heart disorder. In that case, there may also be shortness of breath, fatigue , dizziness , or fainting episodes.
Associations Being in a nervous or overstimulated state of mind can cause rapid heartbeats.
If you get palpitations and are also losing weight, you may have goiter , or an overactive thyroid gland. Frequent occurrences of palpitations, especially when accompanied by other symptoms, may indicate a heart disorder. In one type of disorder the heartbeat begins in the ventricles instead of in the atria. This produces a beat that has no regular rhythm but jumps about in a disorganized way. This condition needs the immediate attention of a physician.