Is a very slow heart rate dangerous?

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Is a very slow heart rate dangerous?
Is a very slow heart rate dangerous?
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This is not always a sign of some disease, experts explain. It is possible that your heart rate may slow down for a while if you have been taking preparations that affect it

For example, the herb foxglove - it is often recommended for heart arrhythmia. Or a beta-blocker to treat hypertension, migraines, or chest pain. However, there are other reasons.

One of them is a disorder in the function of the thyroid gland. A very slow pulse can be caused by heart block or damage to the sinus node, which is medically called bradycardia.

If you suffer from rapid fatigue and frequent dizziness; if your blood "jumps", i.e., sometimes it's low, sometimes it's high; if you feel insecure, unstable and all this is accompanied by a very low heart rate, definitely consult a doctor. This condition can be cured by both medication and surgery, depending on the causes of the disease.

Caution

If the slow pulse is caused by problems in the work of the muscle fibers that transmit various impulses in the heart mechanism, the consequences can be very dangerous. A very low heart rate in this case can end in heart block, which in some cases unfortunately ends in death.

People often almost panic when they measure their pulse and find that it is very weak, barely audible. And many of them run to the doctor. However, if the weak pulse is not accompanied by any other signs of possible disease, the doctor will not be impressed, or even take you seriously. However, if you have a very slow pulse, less than 50 beats per minute, and on top of that it is weak, then do not delay the visit to a specialist.

Any reason that disturbs the necessary blood volume and proper blood flow can lead to weak and slow heartbeats. If before the appearance of a weak pulse you had dizziness, shortness of breath, increased sweating, conditions close to fainting, this indicates blood flow disorders or anemia. Loss of a significant amount of blood or dehydration reduces the frequency of heart attacks.

A weak and slow pulse is often seen in acute heart failure. If the heart is damaged by some infection, if it is weakened by disease, it cannot pump the required amount of blood. And so some of the blood goes back to the heart and lungs. In these cases, the pulse is weak, but not slow, but accelerated.

A pulse of 45 beats per minute may be a manifestation of a disease in the body, and the causes are related to the so-called extracardiac bradycardia. It occurs in the following cases:

• vegetovascular dystonia;

• neurosis;

• increased pressure, which is treated with some hypotensive preparations;

• brain tumor;

• meningitis;

• a blow to the head affecting the brain;

• hypothyroidism (reduced thyroid gland function);

• Meniere's syndrome;

• renal colic.

Excessive compression of the carotid artery can also cause a decrease in heart rate.

Organic bradycardia occurs on the basis of cardiosclerosis or myocardial infarction. In addition to the beta-blockers mentioned above, there are other drugs that lower the heart rate: quinidine, cardiac glycosides, morphine, calcium channel blockers, some antiarrhythmic drugs, sympatholytics. If withdrawal of these drugs returns your heart rate to normal, no further measures are necessary.

Finally, a very slow pulse, often below 40 beats per minute, occurs due to intoxication, which can develop for the following reasons: uremia, viral hepatitis, typhus, sepsis, phosphate intoxication, increased calcium content or blood potassium.

Yana BOYADJIEVA

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