In: Anatomy and Physiology
Excessive vagal stimulation can be caused by severe depression. How would this be reflected in a routine physical examination?
Excessive vagal stimulation of heart can cause bradycardia or low heart rate. Normally, the heart beats 60 to 100 times a minute at rest, but with bradycardia, it goes down to less than 60 beats a minute. With bradycardia, the brain and other organs may not get adequate oxygen and cause the symptoms such as fainting or near-fainting, dizziness or lightheadedness, fatigue, shortness of breath, chest pains and confusion or memory problems. For healthy young adults and trained athletes, bradycardia isn't considered a health problem.
Bradycardia can be caused by heart tissue damage, heart disease or heart attack, infection of heart tissue (myocarditis), heart surgery, hypothyroidism, chemical imbalance, obstructive sleep apnea and medications. A pacemaker implanted can correct bradycardia and help the heart maintain a normal rate. Bradycardia resulting from excessive vagal stimulation of the heart, can be determined by taking the pulse.