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Palpitations in children: what is a normal heartbeat?
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The heart beats faster when your child is active and slower when he or she is sitting or sleeping, but when does the heart rate occur too fast or too slow? And when is it a heart rhythm disorder?
How should you check the heart rate in children?
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Make sure your child has been sitting for at least 5 minutes before you start. Place your first two fingers at the front of the neck or on the inside of the wrist, armpit or elbow crease. Your fingers are positioned correctly when you feel the heartbeat. Set a timer for 30 seconds and count the strokes. Double that number to know how many heartbeats there are per minute.
Also read: How do you measure your heart rate yourself and what is the average heart rate per age?
Average or normal heart rate by age
- Baby (up to 12 months): 100-160 heartbeats per minute
- Toddler (1-3 years): 90-150 heartbeats per minute
- Preschooler (3-5 years): 80-140 heartbeats per minute
- School-age child (5-12 years): 70-120 heartbeats per minute
- Adolescent (12-18 years): 60-100 heartbeats per minute
Also read: Atrial fibrillation: the most common heart rhythm disorder
What if your child feels palpitations?
Everyone sometimes feels that his or her heart is beating faster than normal. For example, during exercise. These types of palpitations are normal. On the other hand, if the heart beats very fast or very slowly during rest periods, there may be something more going on.
Also read: A skipping heartbeat or extrasystole: what is it and what can you do about it?
What are the symptoms of a heart rhythm disorder?
It’s best to check your child’s heart rate if he or she:
- Complains of chest pain or feeling short of breath
- Feeling dizzy or in danger of fainting
- Palpitations, or the feeling that the heart is skipping a beat
- Is short of breath (not due to asthma)
- Turns pale or gets blue lips
Sometimes a heart rhythm disorder may also cause tingling, dry mouth, headache or nausea, but in other cases there may be no symptoms at all.
Also read: Chest pain: when do you think about angina pectoris or myocardial infarction?
A slow heart rate in children (bradycardia)
A heart rate that is slower than normal may indicate a problem.
For babies, this may mean that the child has breathing problems, or that the body temperature has dropped sharply and the baby may even be hypothermic. A slower than normal heart rate in children can also mean that there is a problem with the structure of the heart.
Also read: Cardiac arrhythmia in children: bradycardia (too slow heart rate)
Too fast heart rate in children (tachycardia)
A heartbeat that is too fast can also be dangerous. The heart can then sometimes no longer pump enough blood. As a result, the brain, kidneys, liver and heart muscle itself do not receive enough oxygen.
Also read: Cardiac arrhythmia in children: tachycardia (too fast heart rate)
Sources:
Last updated: March 2024
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2024-03-04 23:00:37
#Palpitations #children #normal #heartbeat #health.be
