What could be the cause of a low heart rate, and is treatment necessary?

Doctor's Answers 2

Well, it depends. An average HR close to 45 may be the norm for someone like Usain Bolt but for the vast majority of us who are not professional long-distance runners (or athletes of any sort) it may be a tad low.

Therefore you need a one-to-one consult to look at individual factors such as your age, other medications or coexisting conditions, family history and fitness levels.

Though the vast majority of causes for "fainting"is benign, certainly low heartrate combined with low BP and symptoms will need to be looked at further.

Treatment will have to follow the cause and if you browse through some of the earlier Q&As on "fainting" here you may note that ECG, echocardiography, 24hr ambulatory ECG and Tilt-table test are usually required along with some blood tests (to ensure you are not anemic etc)

Hope this is somewhat helpful. Unfortunately I cannot be anymore specific as causes are manyfold. Rgrds.

It appears that you have 3 problems:

1) low heart rate

2) low BP

3) frequent giddiness

Low BP and giddiness may be rather normal in many young Asian ladies (you didn't specify your age). Simple life style measures can improve the symptoms, prevent injury, and most of these young ladies grow out of them over time.

The combination of 3 is more of a concern, unless you are a keen athlete. In addition, there are different types of slow heart rate as shown on ECG; some are serious whereas others are less so.

I would agree with your doctor that you should seek a specialist consult (usually cardiologist).

Similar Questions

When do I need to go to the A&E for low blood pressure if I'm pregnant?

it's quite normal for blood pressure to drop early in pregancy as the blood vessels dilate and blood volume also increases to accomodate the growing baby. Blood pressure in fact reaches the lowest point somewhere in middle of second trimester and then starts to rise again and returns to normal after childbirth. Some women may experience dizziness and lightheadedness due to this but if symptoms persist you may have to see your obstetrician as there maybe other reasons too ie anemia, dehydration, heart or endocrine issues and that the pregnancy is proceeding as expected.

Photo of Dr Nandakumar Ramasami

Answered By

Dr Nandakumar Ramasami

Cardiologist

How to ensure that blood pressure measurements are correct for blood pressure measuring devices?

In general BP monitors around the upper arm are more accurate than those around the wrist, although the latter are certainly more convenient to wear and easier to access. It might be worth checking your matching against a reading from one taken at a clinic, so that you know if there is a degree of error. For the arm machines, please remember to use the correct size cuff - this depends on your arm size. Hope this helps.

Photo of Dr Dinesh Sirisena

Answered By

Dr Dinesh Sirisena

Sport Medicine

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