Which condition is commonly considered in the differential diagnosis of bradycardia?

• A. Hypoglycemia
• B. Anxiety
• C. Hyperglycemia
• D. Pneumonia

Answer: (A)

When bradycardia is present, clinicians look for conditions that can slow the heart’s rhythm or alter autonomic balance. Low blood sugar can do this. Hypoglycemia affects the autonomic nervous system and cardiac conduction, and in more severe cases can trigger vagal stimulation that slows the heart, even causing dangerous pauses. Since it’s a reversible metabolic issue, it’s routinely checked for early in the workup of bradycardia.

Anxiety, by contrast, tends to raise heart rate due to sympathetic activation, not slow it. Pneumonia and hyperglycemia typically drive faster heart rates through infection-related stress or metabolic effects, not bradycardia.