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Subject: Re: Bradycardia
Forum: The Heart Forum
Topic Area: Bradycardia
Posted by CCF CARDIO MD - MTR on August 16, 1998 at 16:44:43:
In Reply to: Bradycardia posted by Harold Hyland on August 15, 1998 at 15:42:00:
I am a 52 year old man. Since Jan, I have not felt well. I have been exceptionally tired, wake up exhausted. My doctor has had me wear a heart monitor twice. First time, my average pulse was 50 bpm. I don't have the reading as of yet from my last reading. My pulse lately has been averaging 37 bpm. My doctor wants to be seen by a neurologist to rule out sleep apenea. I don't think I have sleep apenea since I hardly snore nor do I have any of the other outward symptoms.
Since mid-May, I have had numbness in my right hand, outer three fingers and palm (thumb nor index finger are involved). My left palm and outer two fingers are also numb and pains. My heals are now experiencing pains when I first get up. My cardiologist states that it is not connected to my heart problems. My neurologist has not found the cause of the numbness as of yet. Does anyone know if the numbness in my hands could be connected to my heart problems. Also, I am worried about my heart rate being so low. My doctor is hesitant to give me medicine to increase my pulse rate until sleep apenea is ruled out. He also doesn't want to install a pace maker unless medication would not work. Bottom line is, is it dangerous for me to continue to have such a low pulse and what is causing it.
_Dear Harold, thank you for your question. A chronically slow heart rate (bradycardia)
should not be life threatening to you but can cause the symptoms you're experiencing
of fatigue and malaise. But, a slow heart rate can cause spells of loss of
consciousness which alert physicians that a pacemaker is needed. Some patients
have inappropriate sinus bradycardia but causes like other medications and
structural defects of the heart need to be ruled out first. Bradycardia should
not be related to sleep apnea. The symptoms of sleep apnea are excessive daytime
tiredness, loud snoring, and witnessed spells of apnea (no breathing for a
period of time during sleep). The definitive test to rule out sleep apnea is
a sleep study where you sleep in a laboratory in the hospital and your breathing
and sleep are continuously monitored. I can't determine what is causing your
slow heart rate from the information you've provided but it may be that an
exact cause may never be elucidated. The pain and numbness in your hands and feet
sounds to me like a condition called neuropathy where the nerves are inflamed or
damaged by processes like diabetes and primary neurologic disorders. However,
your neurologist should be able to provide you with more details on this subject
and whether he thinks that is the cause of your symptoms. I am not aware of a
medication that could be used to "speed up" your heart rate in place of pacemaker so
it's difficult for me to respond to the question about when a pacemaker is needed.
Finally, I don't think the numbness and pain in your hands is related to your slow
heart rate. I hope you find this information useful. Information provided in the heart forum is for general purposes only. Specific
diagnoses and therapies can only be provided by your physician.
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