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Bradycardia – This is a slowing of the pulse, which is provoked by diseases of the cardiovascular system. It can develop in people of any age, but is predominantly detected in patients older than 40 years. It has been found that bradycardia is 4 times more likely to be found in obese people.
Therapy for bradycardia comes down not only to taking medications, but also to correcting the diet. It is important to take medications that will keep the heart working properly, eliminating acute attacks. The selection of medicines should be done by a doctor, since drugs for the treatment of cardiac pathologies have many contraindications and side effects.
Bradycardia – what is it?
Bradycardia – This is a subspecies of arrhythmia, which is characterized by a violation of the heart rhythm. Oxygen enters the heart through the blood. If blood circulation is disturbed, then the heart muscle experiences oxygen starvation. Therefore, bradycardia most often develops against the background of atherosclerosis or coronary heart disease.
The diagnosis is exposed at the following indicators of pulse;
Less than 55-60 beats / minute – for an adult.
Less than 110 beats / minute – for a newborn.
Less than 100 beats / minute – for monthly children.
Less than 85 beats / minute – for children 1-6 years old.
Less than 70 beats / minute – for children 6-10 years old.
Less than 65 beats / minute – for teenagers.
Types of bradycardia
The ICD does not imply a distinction between bradycardia, as a cardiac pathology, into any subspecies. However, practicing cardiologists distinguish several types of the disease, depending on the severity of its course, the cause of occurrence and the pathogenetic feature.
Stages of development of bradycardia
Stage | Description |
Initial | Bradycardia at this stage is a physiological phenomenon and does not require therapy. To get rid of bouts of illness, you need to reconsider your lifestyle, make changes to the menu. The person himself at the initial stage of the development of bradycardia does not notice that he has attacks of slowing the pulse, since there are no symptoms of this disorder. The prognosis for mild bradycardia is favorable. |
Moderate | Heart rate drops to 40-50 beats / minute. This kind of bradycardia is typical for the elderly, as well as for people who are professionally involved in sports. If bradycardia is diagnosed in these categories of citizens, then doctors consider this a variant of the norm. |
Heavy | The patient’s pulse drops to 40 beats / minute, which leads to the appearance of pathological symptoms. If there is no treatment, this increases the likelihood of a fatal outcome. |
Symptoms of bradycardia
Bradycardia most often has a latent course, gives meager symptoms, so it is almost impossible to identify it on your own. As a rule, it is discovered by chance, during a visit to the doctor for other disorders.
In some cases, even a severe course of bradycardia is manifested by such symptoms that a person without a medical education is not able to correctly differentiate. To clarify the diagnosis, you need to go to the doctor and undergo a comprehensive examination.
If a person has at least 2 of the following symptoms, then bradycardia should be ruled out as a diagnosis:
Pale skin. Bradycardia is accompanied by a decrease in blood pressure, so the blood rushes to the skin slowly. She becomes pale. The discoloration of the dermis occurs either locally or throughout the body. The face becomes noticeably pale, blue spots may appear on the limbs. It is important to take into account that such a symptom of bradycardia develops in people with an advanced form of cardiac pathology.
Chest pain. It appears only during attacks, when the heart rate drops to 40 beats / minute or below. Pain is a consequence of hypoxia of the heart and the death of muscle cells. Therefore, such a symptom requires an ambulance call. After the acute attack is eliminated, you need to consult a doctor. Pain is not always concentrated in the region of the heart. Sometimes it spreads behind the chest, radiates to the shoulder, to the interscapular zone. Whatever the cause of the pain, it is necessary to visit a cardiologist and get advice from him.
Fainting, dizziness. Loss of consciousness most often occurs in people with low blood pressure. This is the body’s response to oxygen deficiency. The person begins to feel dizzy, after which he may lose consciousness for a while. At the same time, dizziness cannot be called a symptom that would characterize exclusively bradycardia. It also develops in people with other diseases, such as damage to the nervous, endocrine, or digestive systems. Therefore, patients who feel dizzy do not always turn to a cardiologist.
Dyspnea. This symptom of bradycardia develops after physical overload, for example, after running. The heart muscle is not able to cope with the pumping of the increased blood flow, as it is used to its slow flow. During an attack of shortness of breath, a person may experience a cough, pain in the chest. It is difficult to cope with them by taking medications.
Shortness of breath, pain, dizziness, and pale skin are the 4 main symptoms that develop in people with bradycardia. However, there are other signs that can lead to the thought of the disease. When the blood flow through the vessels slows down, not only the heart suffers, but also other internal organs: the brain, lungs, etc. Even after a sound sleep, a person is tired, he wakes up broken, cannot focus his attention on professional duties.
Daytime fatigue is a characteristic sign of bradycardia. It haunts a person all the time, becoming a chronic phenomenon. The decrease in working capacity of office workers is especially clearly noted. Their well-being is aggravated not only by oxygen starvation of the heart muscle, but also by physical inactivity, computer radiation, stress and conflict situations.
Increased heart rate during sports is another indirect sign of bradycardia. Moreover, it rises sharply, which is due to the inability of the heart muscle to compensate for the increasing blood flow.
Causes of bradycardia
The causes of bradycardia are negative changes in the conduction system of the heart, which lead to a violation of the propagation of an electrical impulse from the sinus node, which causes the heart to contract. Malfunctions can also occur in the sinus node itself, which leads to a violation of the heart rhythm and, ultimately, to bradycardia, tachycardia or arrhythmia. The causes of such failures can be all sorts of processes that lead to various changes in the heart muscle – myocarditis, atherosclerosis of the coronary vessels, causing coronary heart disease, cardiosclerosis, post-infarction scars, etc.
In addition, the autonomic nervous system, endocrine diseases, severe infections, and high intracranial pressure have a huge impact on the heart rate.
Various drugs affect the heart rate, contributing to the development of bradycardia or tachycardia. It is worth paying close attention to this when prescribing various drugs.
However, not only pathological conditions can cause the development of bradycardia. It also occurs in healthy, even trained people.
Minor sinus rhythm disturbances usually do not cause any negative sensations in a person. In cases where the pulse becomes less than 40 beats per minute, a person feels weakness, dizziness, cold sweat, fainting, as brain hypoxia (oxygen starvation) occurs due to insufficient blood supply.
Diagnosis of bradycardia
In order to make a diagnosis of “bradycardia”, it is necessary to make an electrocardiogram, Holter ECG monitoring. After examining the doctor and talking with the patient, the doctor prescribes additional studies as necessary.
Conservative treatment of bradycardia
Treatment for bradycardia involves taking medications. They should be prescribed by a doctor, as many of them have serious side effects. Most patients prefer drugs in the form of tablets. However, such therapy can help those patients in whom bradycardia has just begun to develop. If the disease has a severe course, then injection of drugs is necessary.
Isadrin
Isadrin can be purchased both in the form of a solution for injection and in tablet form. This drug has an exclusively auxiliary effect, since it does not directly affect the heart rhythm. Tablets cause some side effects, including: dry mouth, headache, tachycardia, nausea.
The tablet is dissolved under the tongue, do not swallow. Try to keep this mass in your mouth as long as possible. A single dose is 2,5-5 mg. You need to take the drug 2-3 times a day. The duration of the course is determined by the doctor.
Isoprenaline
To achieve the maximum therapeutic effect, it is necessary to administer Isoprenaline intravenously.
The analogue of that drug is adrenaline. The main effects of Isoprenaline:
Increased myocardial contractility.
Stimulation of adrenergic receptors in the heart muscle.
Increased tone of the sympathetic nervous system.
The drug is taken 2-4 times a day. The dose is selected by the doctor. In many ways, it is determined by the severity of the course of the disease and the patient’s well-being at the time of the start of treatment. The average dosage for an adult patient varies between 2,5-5 mg.
Ephedrine hydrochloride
This drug increases blood pressure by causing the blood vessels to constrict. It is prescribed for violation of myocardial conduction. At one time, 25 mg of the drug (1 tablet) is enough. The course of treatment is 7 days. Take the drug 2-4 times a day. This is a general recommendation for all patients with bradycardia. If any adjustments are needed, they are made by the doctor.
Vascular atherosclerosis, hypothyroidism, heart pathologies of organic origin – all these diseases are contraindications to taking Ephedrine.
Orciprenaline sulfate
This drug is an analogue of Izadrin. However, patients tolerate it better, as it does not provoke the appearance of side effects. It can not be used to treat patients with vascular atherosclerosis.
Orciprenaline is available in tablet form and as a solution for injection. During the day, the patient should take 3-4 tablets.
Ipratropium bromide (Ipratropium)
This drug is most often used to treat sinus bradycardia, since it does not have any effect on the central nervous system. Patients do not experience drowsiness, do not suffer from lethargy. This drug has a good therapeutic effect, but can cause such disorders as: intestinal disorders, dry mouth, increased blood pressure.
Also in medical practice, there were cases when patients had a violation of the heart rhythm. The reason for this was precisely Ipratropium bromide. In this regard, the drug should not be taken alone. Its use is possible only as prescribed by the attending physician. The average dose of the drug is 1-1/2 tablets 2-4 times a day.