Q: I am 28 years old. I got married 6 months back. I take non-vegetarian food but do not smoke or drink. Neither do I have any addiction. For the last 3 months, I have routinely got my blood pressure (systolic/diastolic/pulse) checked and found that – systolic: 100-115; diastolic: 65-75 and pulse rate: 100-110. I feel that my pulse rate is quite high from normal. These readings were taken when I was calm. Why is the pulse rate so high? What regulations or medicines should I take to make my pulse level drop to the normal level? Is there a possibility of any disease? I feel fine otherwise.

A:Your blood pressure is normal but as pointed out by you your pulse rate is not normal. It certainly is reassuring that you feel well. Nevertheless, I recommend you see a physician so that a determination can be made if the heart rate is regular (which it normally should be) or irregular. Once that determination has been made several medical conditions need to be excluded. I have listed some of these below: 1. Hyperthyroidism - overactive thyroid - this is a fairly common condition and its presence can be detected by examination and blood tests. 2. Anxiety - this is self explanatory 3. Pheochromocytoma - this gives rise to episodic rapid heart beat and is a tumour of the adrenal gland - rare 4. Anaemia - if your haemoglobin is low. 5. Atrial fibrillation - is irregular heart rate because the atrial chambers of the heart are not beating regularly. 6. Exposure to stimulants (nicotine, caffeine) or illicit drugs.