Is a slow heart beat an irregular heartbeat? How should it be treated?

People's hearts beat every day, whether they are sick or normal, the frequency of their hearts beats within a specified range every day. If the heart beats slowly or the number of times it beats is insufficient, pathological factors should be considered. Each person's heart beats an average of about 70 to 100 times per minute. If the heart beats less than 60 times a minute, it can be judged as a slow heartbeat, also commonly known as bradycardia. It is mostly caused by neurological diseases or arrhythmia. In normal times, the cause of the disease should be found and the patient should be checked in the hospital in time to see if there is carditis or heart disease, which may cause a slow heart rate and irregular heartbeat.

Don't take a slow heartbeat lightly

A normal person's heart beats about 70 to 100 times per minute. If the heart beats less than 60 times per minute, it is considered bradycardia.

Common causes of bradycardia include: hyperfunction of the vagus nerve. When the vagus nerve is excited, its endings can release a substance called "acetylcholine", which has an inhibitory effect on the heart and can slow down the heartbeat. The bradycardia caused by vagus nerve hyperfunction is mostly regular, usually 30 to 40 beats per minute. This situation is more common among the elderly.

Sick Sinus Syndrome is caused by the sinoatrial node, the pacemaker of the heart, failing to send impulses well or delaying the sending of impulses, which slows down the heartbeat. The most common causes are cardiomyopathy, coronary heart disease, and degenerative lesions of the cardiac conduction system in the elderly. The heart rate of patients with sick sinus syndrome is sometimes only about 30 beats per minute.

Severe atrioventricular block means that the impulse wave sent by the pacemaker sinus node cannot be transmitted to the atrioventricular node and is blocked. At this time, the ventricles have to compensate by sending impulses themselves, so the heartbeat is very slow. Once complete atrioventricular block occurs, the heart beats only about 20 times per minute. The obvious decrease in cardiac output directly affects the blood supply to the brain, causing dizziness, and even syncope or convulsions. If middle-aged and elderly people find that their heart rate is slowing down, they should not take it lightly. They should go to the hospital in time to ask the doctor to do a systematic examination. Secondly, regarding the issue of taking medication. Because the causes of arrhythmias are different, the symptoms vary, and the treatments are different, cardiovascular drugs should be selected under the guidance of a doctor. Do not take medicine blindly, and avoid taking "heart medicine" as soon as you see it.

For most patients with arrhythmia, their symptoms can generally recover after taking medication. Of course, the symptoms of functional arrhythmia will naturally disappear as long as the cause is eliminated. However, some patients with severe arrhythmias, such as ventricular fibrillation, atrial fibrillation, and severe atrioventricular block, also need special treatments such as defibrillation, cardioversion, and pacemaker installation. Finally, it should be noted that once the elderly find arrhythmia, they should remain calm, because tension will aggravate the symptoms. Of course, they should keep a good mood, avoid anger and irritability, quit smoking and drinking, pay attention to rest, and do not overwork. Regular physical examinations are also necessary.