Questions posted in the
Heart Forum have been answered by doctors from The Cleveland Clinic Foundation.
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Subject: Re: Heart Palpitations I'm a 31 year old female and have been diagnosed with heart palpitations due to a very low heart rate (bigeminy). My question is why do I get lightheaded and out of breath whenever I have palpitations and is there any treatment? I can't take beta-blocker because my heart rate is in the low 40's. My cardiologist suggested alot of physical exercise but have you ever heard of such a thing? ___ Dear Bonnie, Although exercise can and does decrease the number of PVCs (premature ventricular contractions, or "skipped beats"=beats that cause palpitations), it will not necessarily increase your heart rate. My concern for you Bonnie is that your slow heart rate is more the problem than anything else, in that you get short of breath and lightheaded simply because your heart's pumping 40 times a minute is not enough to supply enough your blood to your lung and brain respectively. If you could speed up your heart with exercise then the skipped beats or bigeminal rhythm with not be so much a bother SINCE as I have forgotten to say the amount of blood that the heart ejects to the brain and lungs during a skipped beat is way below normal. Do you get it then?- It is bad enough having a slow heart rate (due to the decreased blood flow in general) but to have multiple skipped beats interposed in that slow rhythm simply creates further detriment to the blood flow-and this creates the type of symptoms you complain of above. If your heart is always that slow, surely you can not exercise all day long just to feel better and certainly you should NOT be exercising if you are dizzi, lightheaded, and or short of breath out of proportion to the level of exercise. I think the first step, Bonnie, is to have a holter monitor done (continuous recording of your heart rhythm for 24-48 hours) if you haven't already, and if the majority of the time you are in the 40's to 50's (regardless of any other finding) you need further investigation, because unless you are a world class athlete this heart rate is not normal. The mere fact that you are symptomatic means you need further investigation, preferably by a cardiologist or an electrophysiologist (cardiologist that specializes in heart rhythms.) If you feel you need to, get a second opinion from such a doctor. Write back with any further questions (and information if possible) and Good Luck. Information provided in the heart forum is intended for general medical informational purposes only, actual diagnosis and treatment can only be made by your physician(s). | |
