What Are the Effects of a Slow Heart Rate? How Can I Manage It?
Maintaining a normal heart rate is crucial, as a normal heart rate ranges from 60 to 100 beats per minute. A heart rate below 60 is known as bradycardia. There are numerous factors that can contribute to bradycardia, each resulting from different illnesses and exerting diverse impacts on the body, necessitating tailored treatment approaches. It is essential to promptly identify the underlying causes and address them accordingly. Let's delve into the impacts of slow heart rate and explore potential solutions.
The most common causes of bradycardia include pathological sinus bradycardia, sinus arrest, sinoatrial block, and atrioventricular block. It can also be observed in sick sinus syndrome, acute myocardial infarction, hypothyroidism, intracranial hypertension, or due to medications that have a bradycardic effect.
a. Systemic Diseases: Conditions such as influenza, typhoid, hypothyroidism, diphtheria recovery, obstructive jaundice, intracranial hypertension, certain infections like leptospirosis, infectious mononucleosis, hypopituitarism, hyperkalemia, alkalosis, esophageal diverticulum, and depression can lead to sinus bradycardia.
b. Medications: Certain drugs like beta-blockers, reserpine, lidocaine, amiodarone, guanethidine, morphine, digitalis, quinidine, verapamil, neostigmine, anesthetics, etc., can cause sinus bradycardia.
c. Cardiovascular Diseases: Acute myocardial infarction, myocarditis, endocarditis, pericarditis affecting the sinoatrial node, chronic ischemic heart disease, inflammation of the sinoatrial node, thrombosis, dilation, or inflammation of the sinoatrial node artery, certain cardiomyopathies like amyloidosis, tetralogy of Fallot, or post-surgical correction of great vessel malposition, microbial involvement of the heart, bleeding into the sinoatrial node, familial sinus bradycardia, and central nervous system diseases affecting the cardiac inhibitory or acceleratory centers can all contribute to bradycardia.
During acute bradycardia episodes, treatment should focus on addressing the underlying cause and discontinuing medications that can slow the heart rate. Additionally, atropine or isoproterenol can be used to increase the heart rate. For individuals with a heart rate of 40 beats per minute or slower, and especially those with recurrent syncope or prodromal symptoms, drug therapy may not be effective, and the placement of a cardiac pacemaker may be necessary.
