Heart block is a type of arrhythmia, which means irregular or abnormal heartbeat. When someone has heart block, it means their heart can beat slowly or miss beats.
The heart pumps blood around the body and has four chambers. The atria are at the top, and the ventricles are at the bottom.
Typically, electrical signals trel from the atria to the ventricles through a group of cells in between them, called the node. It is what makes the heart beat and push blood through the chambers.
When someone has heart block, the electrical signals cannot get through the node as they should. This stops the heart from pumping blood as well as it should.
There are three types of heart block. According to the United Kingdom’s National Health Service (NHS), first-degree heart block is the mildest form. People do not usually notice any symptoms and may not require treatment.
However, it can progress to second- or third-degree heart block.