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A slow heartbeat? These are the danger signs you need to be alert to!
With the change of lifestyle and the advent of an aging society, the problem of bradycardia has received more and more attention. Bradycardia is a resting heart rate below 60 beats per minute. While a slow heartbeat can be a physiological phenomenon, it can also be a sign of an underlying medical condition that affects your health.
Bradycardia is sometimes asymptomatic, but it can be a warning sign if it is accompanied by conditions such as fatigue, difficulty breathing, or fainting.
Studies show that slow heartbeat is common in athletes and healthy young people, especially during sleep at night, when the heart rate can even be lower than 50 beats per minute. However, for older adults, this is a red flag because aging and cardiovascular disease may jointly contribute to the onset of bradycardia.
Causes of slow heartbeat
There are many causes of slow heartbeat, which can be mainly divided into physiological and pathological ones. Physiological bradycardia may be an adaptive response due to the healthy state of the heart or regular exercise training; while pathological bradycardia is usually related to the heart's electrical conduction system.
A slow heartbeat may be caused by the use of medications, such as beta-blockers or calcium channel blockers.
Common types of bradycardia include sinus node insufficiency and atrioventricular block. Sinoatrial insufficiency can cause a heart rate that is persistently below the normal range, while atrioventricular block can block the conduction of the heart's electrical signals, which may cause an irregular or slow heartbeat.
Symptoms of a slow heartbeat
Symptoms of a slow heartbeat may include tiredness, dizziness, palpitations, and occasionally fainting. The onset of these symptoms is directly related to reduced blood flow from the heart to the brain, lungs, and skeletal muscles.
In most cases, symptoms of bradycardia depend on the cause and the health of the heart's conduction system.
For the elderly or people with a history of heart disease, the onset of a slow heartbeat requires special attention, and it is recommended to seek medical attention as soon as possible for evaluation and diagnosis.
Diagnosis of slow heartbeat
Diagnosing a slow heartbeat is usually done with an electrocardiogram (ECG) or by manually measuring your pulse. A persistently slow heartbeat requires evaluation by a medical professional and may require further cardiac imaging. In cases where complications or significant symptoms exist, consultation with a cardiologist is essential.
Treatment of slow heartbeat
Treatment of a slow heartbeat depends on how stable your condition is. If the patient has good symptom control and the heart rate is reasonably maintained within a safe range, further medical intervention may not be needed. But if symptoms are significant, you may want to consider getting a pacemaker.
Depending on the severity of your symptoms, your doctor may prescribe medication or perform surgery.
In some cases, medical treatment such as anticholinergic drugs can temporarily increase the heart rate, but this is only appropriate in emergency situations and long-term solutions require the implantation of a pacemaker.
Prevention and lifestyle adjustments
Although it is impossible to completely avoid having a slow heartbeat, you can effectively reduce the incidence by adopting a healthy lifestyle such as a balanced diet, regular exercise and regular health checks. Especially for the elderly, it is very important to maintain good living habits.
Are you aware of the risks of slow heartbeat and taking early intervention and prevention measures, which are the keys to protecting your own health?
