Bradycardia is a type of arrhythmia in which the heart rate is below sixty beats per second. In trained athletes, such a heartbeat may be a variant of the norm, but, as a rule, this is a deviation indicating various cardiac pathologies. Severe bradycardia (less than forty beats per minute) can be manifested by weakness, short-term loss of consciousness, fainting conditions, pain in the heart, cold sweat, blood pressure instability, dizziness. It often requires surgical intervention to implant a pacemaker.
What is bradycardia?
The reasons can be very different, but at the heart of this disease is always a violation of the ability of the sinus node to generate electrical impulses, the frequency of which would be above sixty per minute. Or it may be a violation of their distribution along the pathways. What is bradycardia, you already know, you should also know that with a rare heart rhythm, a lack of blood supply may occur, and as a result - oxygen starvation of tissues and organs, which disrupts the full functioning of the body. With high physical exertion (especially in men), bradycardia can be considered the norm, and at night, the heart rate can decrease by thirty percent. But often the cause is any pathology.
What is the danger of bradycardia?
Any deviation from the norm is not good. Especially when it is connected with the heart. What is bradycardia is understandable, but how can it be dangerous? It’s easy to guess:
oxygen starvation obviously cannot lead to anything good. Sooner or later, it will still make itself felt. Remember that a pronounced form can be avoided. Lack of oxygen in the brain can lead to attacks of Morgagni-Adams-Stokes, which are a manifestation of a dangerous syndrome, characterized by frequent loss of consciousness. An attack can lead to even more unpleasant consequences: a violation of the heart rhythm, chaotic contractions of individual myocardial cells, and this eventually threatens the depletion of the heart muscle. Possible
ventricular fibrillation is dangerous with a heart attack.
Symptomatology
What is bradycardia in practice? With a moderately severe form of circulatory disorders, there is practically no. The clinical picture of symptoms appears only with severe bradycardia. The patient manifests rapid fatigue, weakness, a tendency to fainting, impaired concentration, short-term visual disturbances. A common manifestation of this ailment is hemodynamic disturbances.
Can it be prevented?
Timely detection of bradycardia can help prevent many problems. A cardiologist determines the diagnosis and treatment after a thorough examination, which may take some time. Keep in mind that bradycardia can be hereditary: if your relatives have this disease, you should undergo an examination that will identify it at an early stage.