Having a slower than normal heartbeat isn’t actually as bad as it’s cracked up to be

A new study has found that people who have a slow heartbeat aren’t more likely to develop cardiovascular disease, provided there are no associated symptoms, according to a UPI report.

Known as bradycardia, when the heart slips to just 50 beats per minute when betwee 60 and 100 are preferred, these people often feel chest pain, shortness of breath, or even light-headedness leading to fainting.

In a statement, Dr. Ajay Dharod, who is a professor of internal medicine at Wake Forest Baptist Hospital, said that for the vast majority of these people “with a heart rate in the 40s or 50s who have no symptoms, the prognosis is very good. Our results should be reassuring for those diagnosed with asymptomatic bradycardia.”

The findings were based on data from 6,733 patients from 2000 to 2002 who were followed for 10 years after enrolling int he study. They found that the risks were teh same for those with a regular heart rate and those with slow heart beat.

But there is a catch: they are at a higher risk of death for those taking medications that slow heart rate. Dharod noted that more research would be needed to confirm this, however.

The findings were published in the journal JAMA Internal Medicine.