Can Anorexia Cause Bradycardia?

Someone is diagnosed with bradycardia when they have an abnormally low heart rate. This signals that the heart isn’t functioning as it should—which can be life threatening.

There are different reasons why someone can develop this condition. Eating disorders, especially anorexia nervosa, is one reason why someone may develop this heart condition. [1]

What is Anorexia?

Anorexia nervosa is an eating disorder characterized by an intense fear of gaining weight or becoming fat. This leads to severe food restriction, which results in someone being unable to maintain a healthy body weight.

Anorexia is a potentially life-threatening because of the medical complications that can result from being severely underweight. [1] In fact, anorexia is one of the deadliest mental illnesses. [1]

Signs of anorexia include: [2]

• Dramatic weight loss
• Preoccupation with food, weight, dieting, or exercise
• Refusing to eat certain foods, especially entire food groups such as carbs or fats
• Intense fear or emotional distress related to being fat
• Weight plays a significant role in self-esteem

There are physical symptoms of anorexia as well. A main physical symptom and complication of anorexia are heart issues, including bradycardia. [1,2]

Why Does Anorexia Cause Bradycardia?

Bradycardia is extremely common in people with anorexia. [article] Research shows that many people with anorexia and bradycardia don’t show symptoms of heart problems unless they are also experiencing other related medical issues, like low blood pressure. [1]

This is especially dangerous because undetected bradycardia can lead to heart conditions that are fatal. [1] Anorexia is shown to lead to bradycardia due to the body not having enough energy due to nutrient deficiencies. [1]

The lack of energy causes structural changes in the heart. These structural changes result in low heart rate. [1]

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What are the Signs of Bradycardia?

It’s common for people with anorexia to deny that they’re experiencing any medical symptoms or issues. [1] This can prevent them from getting the medical care they need.

Bradycardia is often one of the first signs of an eating disorder. [article] Symptoms of bradycardia include: [3]

• Fainting
• Dizziness
• Fatigue
• Weakness
• Shortness of breath
• Chest pain
• Confusion
• Memory difficulties
• Becoming tired quickly during physical activity

Can I Recover from Anorexia and Bradycardia?

Research shows that people with anorexia and bradycardia can recover. [1] Bradycardia in people with anorexia can be reversible once someone restores weight and is supplying their body with enough nutrients. [1] However, some people may require a pacemaker. [1]

It’s important for people with co-occurring conditions to receive treatment for both at the same time. Co-occurring conditions means that someone has more than one condition at a time. Anorexia and bradycardia are co-occurring. Treatment should include medical and mental health care.

Treatment for Bradycardia and Anorexia

Treatment for bradycardia will depend on how severe it is and the type of bradycardia someone is experiencing. [3] Sometimes medication or a pacemaker is used in order to restore a regular heart rate.

Anorexia can be treated in a number of ways. Treatment should be tailored to how much care someone needs in order to make progress towards recovery and remain medically stable. For example, some people with anorexia may need to be hospitalized in order to monitor their heart rate and have support with eating.

Other treatment options include residential treatment or intensive outpatient programs. There is typically more medical supervision and care provided in hospitalization and residential treatment programs. For people with bradycardia, it is recommended that there is ongoing medical monitoring. [1]

For this reason, higher levels of care like residential treatment may be a good fit for people with anorexia and bradycardia.

Regardless of the treatment program, there tends to be similarities among programs. Traditional treatment for anorexia includes:

• Therapy: Therapy can include individual, group, family, and couple’s therapy. Therapy is an opportunity to develop coping skills and improve relationships.
• Nutritional counseling: A registered dietitian (RD) who specializes in eating disorders can help someone with anorexia restore weight in healthy way. RDs can also help people in treatment sort through disordered and illogical beliefs about food and build a healthier relationship with food.
• Medication: Some psychiatrists will use medication during the recovery process to treat mental health symptoms and conditions, such as depression or anxiety, that contribute to disordered eating

Anorexia and bradycardia are two potentially life-threatening conditions. It is recommended for all medical professionals to be aware of how to screen for bradycardia. [1]

Proper screening can result in earlier treatment, which may be able to prevent deaths due to anorexia-induced bradycardia. Medical professionals who work with vulnerable populations, such as adolescents and athletes, should also be aware of the warning signs and symptoms of bradycardia and anorexia.

Resources:

[1] Yahalom, M., Spitz, M., Sandler, L., Heno, N., Roguin, N., & Turgeman, Y. (2013) The significance of bradycardia in anorexia nervosa. The international journal of angiology: Official publication of the international college of angiology, inc., 22(2), 83-94.

[2] National Eating Disorders Association. (n.d) Warning Signs and Symptoms. Retrieved February 25th, 2022 from https://www.nationaleatingdisorders.org/learn/by-eating-disorder/anorexia/warning-signs-symptoms

[3] Cedars Sinai. (n.d) Bradycardia. Retrieved February 25th, 2022 from https://www.cedars-sinai.org/health-library/diseases-and-conditions/b/bradycardia.html

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At Eating Disorder Solutions, compassion is at the root of everything we do. We understand that eating disorders are complex, deeply rooted mental health and medical conditions which require personalized treatment for a successful recovery. By integrating behavioral health modalities and clinical interventions, we endeavor to address disordered eating at its source.

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The opinions and views of our guest contributors are shared to provide a broad perspective of eating disorders. These are not necessarily the views of Eating Disorder Hope, but an effort to offer a discussion of various issues by different concerned individuals.

We at Eating Disorder Hope understand that eating disorders result from a combination of environmental and genetic factors. If you or a loved one are suffering from an eating disorder, please know that there is hope for you, and seek immediate professional help.

Published on March 3, 2022. Published on EatingDisorderHope.com
Reviewed & Approved on March 3, 2022, by Jacquelyn Ekern, MS, LPC