Slow Heartbeat

A slow heartbeat may accompany other symptoms, which vary depending on the underlying disease, disorder or condition. Symptoms that frequently affect the heart may also involve other body systems.

A slow heartbeat may accompany symptoms that are related to other body systems including:

• Anxiety

• Coughing up clear, yellow, light brown, or green mucus

• Fatigue

• Fever

• Indigestion

• Nausea with or without vomiting

• Palpitations

In some cases, a slow heartbeat may be a symptom of a life-threatening condition that should be immediately evaluated in an emergency setting. Seek immediate med ical care (call 911) if you, or someone you are with, have a slow heartbeat accompanied by any of these life-threatening symptoms including:

• Chest pain or pressure

• Fainting

• Dizziness

• Fainting or change in level of consciousness or lethargy

• High blood pressure

• Lightheadedness

• Nausea with or without vomiting

• Pain in the back, neck, jaw or stomach

• Respiratory or breathing problems, such as shortness of breath, difficulty breathing, labored breathing, wheezing, not breathing, or choking

• Sweating

There are many causes of slow heartbeat, and they range from mild to serious.

A slow heartbeat may be caused by cardiovascular disorders or diseases such as:

• Cardiac arrhythmias

• Cardiomyopathy (weakened or abnormal heart muscle and function)

• Cardiovascular disease (due to atherosclerosis, hardening of the arteries, or other causes)

• Sinus node disease (abnormality of the heart’s internal pacemaker)

Other causes of slow heartbeat include:

• Anorexia nervosa

• Collagen vascular diseases

• Electrolyte disturbances

• Deep sleep

• Excellent physical fitness

• Fever

• Heat exhaustion

• Hypothermia

• Hypothyroidism (underactive thyroid)

• Malnutrition

• Medication side effects

• Old age

• Regular exercise, which conditions the heart muscle and eventually slows the heart rate

• Trauma

• Tumors (intracranial, cervical, mediastinal)

In some cases, slow heartbeat may be a symptom of a serious or life-threatening condition that should be immediately evaluated in an emergency setting. These conditions include:

• Cardiogenic shock (shock caused by heart damage and ineffective heart function)

• Congestive heart failure (deterioration of the heart’s ability to pump blood)

• Dissecting aortic aneurysm (life-threatening bulging and weakening of the aortic artery wall that can burst and cause severe hemorrhage)

• Myocardial infarction (heart attack)

• Myocarditis (infection of the middle layer of the heart wall)

• Overdose, including cumulative overdose, of certain cardiac medications

• Pericarditis (infection of the lining that surrounds the heart)

• Trauma

To diagnose your condition, your doctor or licensed health care practitioner will ask you several questions related to your slow heartbeat including:

• How long have you been experiencing a slow heartbeat?

• Do you feel a regular or irregular pattern to your heartbeat?

• Do you feel that your heartbeat is stopping or skipping?

• When does the slow heartbeat occur? Does it coincide with any specific activities?

• Do you have any other symptoms?

• What medications are you taking?

Because a slow heartbeat can be due to serious diseases, failure to seek treatment can result in serious complications and permanent damage. Once the underlying cause is diagnosed, it is important for you to follow the treatment plan that you and your health care professional design specifically for you to reduce the risk of potential complications including:

• Brain damage
• Cardiac arrest
• Difficulty breathing
• Hypoxia (low levels of oxygen in the blood)
• Respiratory failure and respiratory arrest
• Unconsciousness and coma