BRADYCARDIA
06 Jun 2019
ABSTRACT –
Bradycardia is a gradual or irregular heart beat than normal which beats lesser than 60 times a minute. The normal heart rate is between 60-100 beats per minute (bpm) among the adults. Bradycardia doesn’t allow the heart to pump enough oxygen which becomes a very serious issue to the body. Although, implanted pacemaker can help the heart to maintain a proper heart beat rate.
CAUSES –
- Damage to heart tissues due to aging, heart disease or heart attack
- Congenital heart failure
- Myocarditis involves breathlessness, chest pain, irregular heart beat
- Hypothyroidism
- Chemical imbalance of potassium or calcium in the blood
- Obstructive Sleep Apnea
- Inflammatory diseases like rheumatic fever or auto-immune disease like lupus
- Side effects of certain medications
SIGNS AND SYMPTOMS –
- Syncope (Faintness)
- Dizziness and Fatigue
- Breathlessness
- Chest pains
- Issues like confusion, memory difficulties
- Lack of energy while doing any physical activities, always feeling tired
DIAGNOSIS –
- Electrocardiogram (ECG) followed with other tests like: Holter monitor, Event recorder, Tilt table test, Exercise test as without these, ECG alone cannot evaluate Bradycardia
- Laboratory and blood tests
TREATMENT –
- Treating pre-existing disorder such as hypothyroidism or obstructive sleep apnea
- Modification in medications
- Using Pacemaker which is a device implanted under collarbone to restore the heart beats.
RISK FACTORS –
- Smoking
- Alcohol and drug abuse
- High blood pressure
- Stress or anxiety
EPIDEMIOLOGY –
The prevalence and occurrence of Bradycardia is still unknown however the study shows that it generally affects older people and occurs equally in both the genders.