Question
What is sinus bradycardia and do HIV meds cause it?
25 June 2010. Related: All topics, Opportunistic infections, Side effects.
Hello,
My partner went for a general checkup and found she had sinus bradycardia.
Her blood pressure was 55/90 which I thought was too low. My question is what is the cause and what can she do? She has no symptoms. Is this related to her HIV?
She’s on Sustiva (efavirenz) and Truvada. Her last lab results in May were CD4 370 and viral load 40.
Answer
Thank you for your question.
Firstly I would just like to remind you that we are not doctors but HIV treatment advocates. We give out information regarding HIV-related problems and HIV treatments. Any symptom you or your partner has must be shown to your HIV doctor.
Sinus bradycardia is, at the simplest level, a slow beating heart (less than 60 beats per minute). This could explain the low blood pressure. Sinus bradycardia is not necessarily a bad thing especially if she has no other symptoms. It can be a sign of good health and fitness. Many professional athletes have sinus bradycardia and that allows them to run long distances etc. It is unlikely that this is related to her HIV.
For more information about sinus bradycardia please see this link
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