Bradycardia in children occurs regardless of their age. With this diagnosis, a decrease in heart rate is noted . In a newborn baby, the heart rate decreases by a hundred beats per minute, in preschool children - by 70, in adolescents - up to 60.
Bradycardia in children - causes
This disease develops in a child if he has congenital heart problems. Also, the cause of bradycardia are diseases of the nervous and endocrine system, increased intracranial pressure and some infectious diseases. Lead or nicotine poisoning is also a cause of heart rate reduction.
Bradycardia in children also appears with an increased tone of the vagus nerve, as a result of the pathological process of the myocardium. This phenomenon causes a decrease in impulses in the sinus node, and as a result, a nodal rhythm is formed. In addition, a decrease in heart rate can occur when taking potassium and anaprilin in large quantities.
Forms of the disease
Bradycardia in children is divided into several types, depending on how this pathology manifests itself. There is absolute bradycardia, that is, a decrease in the rhythm constantly, regardless of the patient's condition and conditions of his presence. Relative bradycardia - a decrease in heart rate when exposed to a specific factor. Mild bradycardia in children is a condition that, when exhaled, is replaced by tachycardia. This moderate form of the disease occurs in a child at a young age, for example, with hypothermia or with pressure on the eyeballs. It is also worth noting that this disease can be physiological or pathological in nature.
Symptoms of the disease
Bradycardia in children manifests itself in the form of weakness, lethargy, loss of appetite, dizziness, pain in the chest area. But the most pronounced symptom is a decrease in heart rate. Bradycardia is dangerous because the heart with such a pathology is not able to supply the organs with blood in full, and therefore with oxygen. If this disease is not treated, then in the future it can cause the development of serious disorders.
Disease treatment
Bradycardia in children is treated taking into account its type and the causes of the disease. To increase the rhythm, the child is prescribed atropine sulfate. If cardiac conduction is impaired, then drugs are prescribed in accordance with the cause of the development of this process. In some emergency cases, electrical stimulation of the heart is used. If the disease is caused by the use of one or another drug, then the drug should be immediately withdrawn and procedures to eliminate side effects should be carried out. Most often, when diagnosing this disease, the doctor prescribes medications that correct the metabolism of carbohydrates and eliminate oxygen starvation.
In many children, bradycardia is temporary and easy to correct. In some cases, the child simply outgrows this pathology.