Having your heart skip a beat isn't necessarily a good thing. Feeling an abnormal heartbeat can be a scary experience.

PVC patient Dawn Combs says "I would feel what kind of felt like a hiccup right here. So one day I just put my hand to my pulse to feel it and I felt a beat, a pause, a beat, a beat and I thought, what's going on? It just really scared me."

As a busy wife and mother when Dawn began feeling these strange episodes she ignored them, hoping they'd just go away. "I think that what I was really afraid of, was going in and finding out that there was something seriously wrong and having 2 kids."

She eventually went to her physician who ordered an EKG, and Dawn was diagnosed with having something called PVC. Cardiologist Steven Longobardi explains, "A PVC is what's called a premature ventricular complex. It's an extra beat in the lower chambers of the heart. In people without evidence of structural heart disease, PVC's are considered benign."

Simple PVC's like Dawn's don't require any treatment. However, it could be a sign of something more serious. It could be a sign of severe cardiac disease and for that reason if you experience PVC's, it is recommended that you see a cardiologist. Dr. Longobardi says, "typical symptoms are very irregular pulse, or a very strong pulse that they can feel."

Any form of stress, certain dietary intake, excess caffeine, smoking or alcohol can bring on PVC's. See your physician if you experience symptoms to be sure you don't need treatment.

Simple PVC's are pretty common in the general population and, as age increases, the frequency increases. Approximately 70% of people between the ages of 40 and 60 have simple PVCs.