Bradycardia: Slow Heart Rate
ECG strip showing a normal heartbeat
ECG strip showing bradycardia
心动过缓是一种 心率 那太慢了. What’s considered too slow can depend on your age 和 physical condition. Elderly people, for example, are more prone to bradycardia.
在一般情况下, 对于成年人来说, a resting 心率 of fewer than 60 beats per minute (BPM) qualifies as bradycardia.
也有例外. Your 心率 may fall below 60 BPM during deep sleep. Physically active adults (和 athletes) often have a resting 心率 slower than 60 BPM.
View an animation of bradycardia.
心动过缓的原因
Causes for bradycardia include:
- Problems with the sinoatrial (SA) node, the heart’s natural 起搏器
- Problems in the conduction pathways of the heart that don’t allow electrical impulses to pass properly from the atria to the ventricles
- Metabolic problems such as hypothyroidism (low thyroid hormone)
- Damage to the heart from aging, 心脏病 or 心脏病
- 某些 心脏药物 that can cause bradycardia as a side effect
- Congenital heart defects (出生时)
- Infection of heart tissue, known as 心肌炎
- Complications from heart surgery
- Chemical imbalances in the blood, such as potassium or calcium
- Repeated breathing disruptions during sleep, known as obstructive 睡眠呼吸暂停
- Inflammatory disease, such as rheumatic fever or lupus
Symptoms of bradycardia
A 心率 那太慢了 can cause insufficient blood flow to the brain. Symptoms of bradycardia include:
- Fatigue or feeling weak
- Dizziness or lightheadedness
- 混乱
- Fainting (or near-fainting)
- 呼吸急促（气促）
- Tires easily during exercise
- 胸部疼痛
Complications of bradycardia
Possible complications of bradycardia can include:
Treatment of bradycardia
Borderline or occasional bradycardia may not require treatment.
Severe or prolonged bradycardia can be treated in a few ways. 例如, if medication side effects are causing the slow 心率, then the medication regimen can be adjusted or discontinued.
在许多情况下，a 起搏器 can regulate the heart’s rhythm, speeding up the 心率 as needed.
