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Do you often struggle with headache and dizziness? Don’t you feel your heart beating faster after strenuous exercise? Do you find it hard to concentrate and have trouble remembering? Do not underestimate this condition – it could be bradycardia.
Ailments related to the cardiovascular system cannot be taken lightly. Any disturbing symptoms should be consulted with a doctor, because ignoring them may lead to serious conditions. One of them is bradycardia – a condition that can cause fainting, loss of consciousness, etc. (The very word “bradycardia” comes from the Greek βραδύς, bradys “slow” and καρδία, kardia, “heart”).
Bradycardia is a disease the causes of which can be seen, among others, in in:
- sinus node insufficiency
- increased tension of the vagus nerve
- hypothermia
- electrolyte disturbances.
In addition, sinus bradycardia may appear in people after a heart attack, but the condition is transient. Occasionally, bradycardia may be the result of medications such as calcium channel blockers or medications for cardiac arrhythmias. Additionally, bradycardia can also result from the toxic effects of drugs, alcohol or other toxic chemicals.
The opposite of bradycardia is tachycardia, which is manifested by an increase in heartbeats to over 100 per minute.
Bradycardia – symptoms
As for bradycardia, the symptoms are not at all obvious. Symptoms may indicate, inter alia, for exhaustion or severe stress. Therefore, it is worth paying special attention to:
- slow responses to stimuli
- general weakness of the body
- getting tired quickly during physical activity
- fatigue
- fainting
- short blackouts
- trouble with memory.
These are conditions that result from not getting enough oxygen to the heart as a result of a delayed pulse.
See also: Products that are good for the heart
Bradycardia – diagnosis
The diagnosis of barricardia consists in the precise measurement of the pulse and the performance of an EKG. In order to diagnose cardiac arrhythmias that are dangerous to our health, a prolonged Holter ECG recording is performed. As a last resort, after previous tests that have not confirmed the occurrence of barricardia, subcutaneous recorders can be used, which are believed to record arrhythmias even for a very long time.
Sometimes it also applies to some people electrophysiological studyduring which the patient is inserted electrodes into the heart, which makes it possible to study the function of the conductive system. It is very important to consider all the symptoms you experience with your test results as this will determine the effectiveness of any treatment.
Also read: How is the heart examined?
What is the treatment of bradycardia?
It is worth being aware that bradycardia very often occurs in athletes and people with excessive activity of the vagus nerve – then we are talking about physiological bradycardia.
On the other hand, sinus bradycardia and low pulse induced by taking certain medications are pathological bradycardia requiring appropriate countermeasures.
Treatment of bradycardia is mainly focused on eliminating symptoms, although determining the specific cause is important. Many people require the implantation of a pacemaker, although pharmacological treatment is also possible by administering such drugs as, for example, adrenaline, isoprenaline, atropine, and glucagon.
If you experience symptoms of bradycardia, contact your cardiologist as soon as possible. The specialist will conduct tests on the basis of which he will make a diagnosis and start appropriate treatment.
Polish cardiologists encourage: “Fight for your heart!”
Bradycardia – natural and electronic pacemaker
In the case of barricardia, there are two main types of disorders that cause it, namely: sinus node disease and heart blocks. Sinus node disease is closely related to the failure of our natural pacemaker – the sinoatrial node. The pulses it generates are too rare or temporarily absent.
In these situations, special cells in the heart that produce electrical impulses play a role. Unfortunately, the rhythm they generate is not enough. During the operation of the natural pacemaker, the impulses it sends are sometimes stopped in: the His bundle, its branches or in the atrioventricular node. These situations are called heart block or atrioventricular (AV) block.
There are three degrees of heart block. In the first one, impulses from the atria reach the ventricles too slowly. In the second degree, some of the sent pulses do not reach, and in the third degree, they do not get all of them, which results in the implementation of a substitute rhythm, which is slower than the sinus rhythm.
People who enjoy a healthy heart condition tolerate barricardia quite well, but if the heart or the entire circulatory system is in a bad condition, the resulting interruptions in work, or a low heart rate, may not only hinder everyday life, but also constitute a serious threat to us. In this case, a pacemaker is implanted.
The stimulator is nothing more than a device that includes a battery-powered pulse generator and electrodes. The generator is usually located under the skin in the subclavian region (left) and the electrodes or an electrode are inserted through a vein into the right atrium and / or right ventricle. It depends on where the rhythm disturbances arise. In most cases, electrodes are placed in both chambers of the heart. This is due to the natural sequence of contractions of the ventricles and atria.
The work of the electrodes consists in sending pulses directly from the generator to the heart cavities and back information about its natural stimulations. An electronic pacemaker constantly monitors the heart rate and reacts if necessary. In the event of strenuous exercise, it may increase the heart rate and slow it down when the patient is resting.
However, it should be remembered that having a pacemaker is associated with control visits every 6-12 months throughout the patient’s life, and battery replacement every 4-7 years, which results from the frequency of the device and electrode replacement. In addition, sometimes the pacemaker may need to be reprogrammed, but this does not require removing it from under the patient’s skin.
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Bradycardia — bradycardia zatokowa
It often happens to young people practicing endurance sports such as cycling or long-distance running. It relies on a decreased heart rate, to less than 50 beats per minute. If no other symptoms are present, it usually means physiological barricardia, which is closely related to the high efficiency of the respiratory system as well as the circulatory system.
For some athletes, the resting heart rate can be as low as 30 beats per minute. During rest or sleep, the heart does not have to work faster to be able to fully meet the body’s oxygen needs. Then, the heart rate significantly lowers and exceeds the imaginary limit of bradycardia in the case of most adults and healthy people without causing any negative consequences.
However, sinus bradycardia is a reason for cardiac intervention, if it is chronic and causes negative effects such as dizziness, repeated loss of consciousness, rapid deterioration of the body’s efficiency, visual and auditory disturbances, heart failure or palpitations. In such cases, it is referred to as sinus node dysfunction.
It is also worth mentioning that in addition to the sinus barricardia, we can also mention its transitional form, which is associated with a disturbance in the conduction of the vagus nerve, intermediate between the brain and the sinus node in controlling the heart. Such situations occur during vasovagal syncope, e.g. when we feel severe stress or exhaustion, in reaction to the sight of blood, while staying in the sauna (high temperature and humidity persist for a long time). Usually it is because of at least two of the above-mentioned factors.