Steroids and bradycardia: how slow can you go?

Pulse Methylprednisolone-Induced Sinus Bradycardia: A Case Report

Corticosteroids have a wide range of uses. The most commonadverse side effectsofhigh-dosepulse steroids are hyperglycemia, gastrointestinal intolerance, and psychiatric symptoms. Cardiac arrhythmias have been reported in patients who receive high-dose steroid therapy. Bradycardia is a rare adverse side effect of pulse steroid therapy. We present the case of a 57-year-old male patient who developed symptomatic sinus bradycardia after he received pulse methylprednisolone therapy as treatment for graft-versushost disease. The patient's pulse steroid therapy was discontinued, and the dose of methylprednisolone was reduced to 100 mg/day. He was treated conservatively and with close observation; the patient's heart rate increased to 68 beats/min after 1 day, and then to 78 beats/min. The diagnosis of methylprednisolone-induced bradycardia was made after exclusion of other common etiologies of sinus bradycardia. This case report demonstrates the importance of careful cardiovascular monitoring in patients who receive high-dose methylprednisolone because of dose-related cardiovascular risks.

Steroid-induced Bradycardia During Induction Chemotherapy in Children and Young Adults Diagnosed With Acute Lymphoblastic Leukemia and Lymphoblastic Lymphoma

Systemic corticosteroids are widely used for the treatment of acute lymphoblastic leukemia (ALL) and lymphoblastic lymphoma. Anecdotal case reports demonstrate bradycardia in patients receiving corticosteroids; however, a more in-depth analysis is lacking. This study aimed to describe the incidence, timing, and outcomes of bradycardia in children with ALL receiving corticosteroids during induction chemotherapy at our center from 2010 to 2016. A total of 153 children were included, with 150 (98%) demonstrating decreased heart rate following steroid administration with a median HR decrease of 23 beats per minute. Bradycardia ≤first percentile for age developed in 90 (59%) patients, with nadir occurring, on average, 7 doses into treatment, corresponding to 79 hours after initiation of therapy. No patient experienced adverse events related to bradycardia. Resolution of bradycardia at outpatient follow-up occurred in 62 of 71 (87%). Examination of nadir heart rate during subsequent hospitalizations in which steroids were not being administered did not demonstrate a significant incidence of bradycardia. Corticosteroid-induced bradycardia is common in children with ALL receiving induction chemotherapy. It was not associated with clinical adverse events and self-resolved without intervention. Therefore, further cardiac assessment may not be warranted in the presence of asymptomatic bradycardia suspected to be secondary to steroid administration.

Acute Symptomatic Sinus Bradycardia in High-Dose Methylprednisolone Therapy in a Woman With Inflammatory Myelitis: A Case Report and Review of the Literature

High dose corticosteroid therapy is widely used as attack therapy of inflammatory central nervous system disorders and can induce several adverse reactions. Bradycardia is an infrequent event after corticosteroids administration and is often asymptomatic. We report a case of a woman admitted to the neurological department of our hospital for paraesthesias of the lower limbs. She received adiagnosis of inflammatory myelitis and high dose corticosteroid therapy was prescribed. During the therapy she complained of chest tightness, dyspnoea, weakness and malaise. An electrocardiogram revealed sinus bradycardia. A significant increase in body weight, probably due to plasma volume expansion, was detected. Bradycardia and high blood pressure spontaneously resolved in few days. We provide a collection and a statistical analysis of literature data about steroid induced bradycardia. We found that higher total doses are associated with lower pulse rate and symptomatic bradycardia. Bradycardia is more frequent in older patients and those with underlying cardiac disease or with autonomic disturbance. However clinicians must be aware about the occurrence of symptomatic bradycardia in all patients who undergo high dose corticosteroid therapy, not only in those at risk, to early detect and treat this potentially dangerous condition.

Dose-dependent bradycardia as a rare side effect of corticosteroids: a case report and review of the literature

Corticosteroids rank at the first place among the most commonly used immunosuppressive agents in the rheumatology practice. Although their conventional adverse effects including hyperglycemia, hypertension, hyperlipidemia, and osteoporosis are well-recognized and managed, steroid-induced cardiac arrhythmias are known to a lesser extent. In this regard, steroid-associated bradycardia is rarely expected and not very well known. Reported cases of steroid-associated bradycardias in the literature predominantly have emerged during the course of intravenous high-dose (pulse) methylprednisolone (MP) administrations. In this paper, we report a patient who developed sinus bradycardia following 52 mg of oral MP administration, improved once the drug was discontinued but repeated with the re-administration. Hence, the patient was shifted to prednisolone (PRED), and again suffered bradycardia which recovered upon dose reduction. Presenting this case along with other similar rare cases in the literature, our aim is to draw attention of fellow rheumatologists, who widely use steroids, to bradycardia-a rare and dose-dependent side effect of steroids.

Sinus bradycardia after intravenous pulse methylprednisolone therapy in patients with systemic lupus erythematosus

Sinus bradycardia is reported as an adverse effect of high-dose glucocorticoid therapy. We report three cases of systemic lupus erythematosus, wherein intravenous pulse methylprednisolone was administered. The patients' average baseline heart rate was 72 beats/min, which decreased 30% from baseline at 61 h after beginning the therapy. The average minimum heart rate was 38 beats/min, and this rate continued for 169 h on average. No other causes for bradycardia were found, suggesting that the administration of glucocorticoid pulse therapy resulted in decreased heart rate.

Bradycardia Associated with Steroid Use for Laryngeal Edema in an Adult: A Case Report and Literature Review

Steroids are used for specific indications in the perioperative period to reduce laryngeal or spinal cord edema, or for prophylaxis and treatment of postoperative nausea and vomiting. Given the other potential causes for hemodynamic alterations in the perioperative setting, it is important for physicians to be aware of cardiovascular side effects of short term steroids. Changes in blood pressure and heart rate, cardiac dysrhythmias, and even death have been described in patients receiving short term intravenous steroids. Bradycardia has been reported following short term methylprednisolone and dexamethasone therapy in both adult and pediatric patients. There are only two case reports in the literature of bradycardia following short term intravenous dexamethasone use in adult patients. This is the first case report that describes bradycardia following the use of dexamethasone in the postoperative setting for management of laryngeal edema in an adult. Telemetry and twelve lead electrocardiograms revealed sinus bradycardia and correlated directly with administration of dexamethasone in our patient. Bradycardia resolved following discontinuation of dexamethasone. We advocate for hemodynamic monitoring in patients receiving more than one dose of intravenous steroid therapy in the perioperative period, especially those with known cardiac and hepatic comorbidities and those taking medications with negative chronotropic effects.

Acute symptomatic sinus bradycardia in a woman treated with pulse dose steroids for multiple sclerosis: a case report

Introduction

Sinus bradycardia has been reported after administration of pulse dose steroids, although most cases have occurred in children and are asymptomatic. We report a case of acute symptomatic sinus bradycardia due to pulse dose steroids in a woman with multiple sclerosis. Interestingly, this patient also suffered from inappropriate sinus tachycardia due to autonomic involvement of multiple sclerosis.

Case presentation

A 48-year-old Caucasian woman with multiple sclerosis and chronic palpitations due to inappropriate sinus tachycardia was prescribed a 5-day course of intravenous methylprednisolone for treatment of an acute flare. Immediately following the fourth dose of intravenous methylprednisolone, she developed dyspnea, chest heaviness, and lightheadedness. She was referred to the emergency department where an electrocardiogram showed marked sinus bradycardia (40 beats per minute). Initial laboratory test results, including a complete blood count, basic metabolic profile and cardiac biomarkers, were normal. She was admitted for observation on telemetry monitoring. Her heart rate gradually increased and her symptoms resolved. Her outpatient dose of atenolol, taken for symptomatic inappropriate sinus tachycardia, was resumed.

Conclusions

Our patient’s acute symptoms were attributed to symptomatic sinus bradycardia due to pulse dose steroid treatment. Although several theories have been suggested to explain this phenomenon, the exact mechanism still remains unknown. It does not warrant any specific treatment, as it is a self-limiting side effect that resolves after discontinuing steroid infusion. Young patients who are free of any active cardiac conditions can safely be administered pulse dose steroids without monitoring. However, older patients with active cardiac conditions should have heart rate and blood pressure monitoring during infusion. Our patient also suffered from inappropriate sinus tachycardia, a manifestation of autonomic involvement of multiple sclerosis that has not been previously described. This case has implications for the pathogenesis and treatment of dysautonomia in patients with multiple sclerosis.