'Modern Family' star opens up about heart disorder, getting pacemaker at 29
In an appearance on the "Inside of You" podcast released on Tuesday, July 1, the "Modern Family" star, 55, discussed being diagnosed with sick sinus syndrome, a heart disorder that caused her to have a low heart rate.
Bowen noted she was diagnosed soon after graduating college thanks to her sister, who was in medical school at the time. The actress always had a low heart rate, but when her sister listened to it with a stethoscope, she told Bowen, "You need to go to a cardiologist immediately."
Bowen subsequently received her diagnosis and got a pacemaker under her armpit, right after shooting the pilot of her early 2000s NBC series, "Ed."
"I was like, 'Oh my God. My life is over. This is so weird. I'm going to die.' I don't know what I thought it was," Bowen said. "I was 29 years old."
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The actress explained the condition would give her a feeling of lightheadedness − as if she had been holding her breath − whenever she was relaxed. Before receiving her pacemaker, which she has had replaced a few times since, doctors warned that this could result in Bowen passing out while behind the wheel of a car and causing an accident.
According to the Mayo Clinic, sick sinus syndrome is a kind of heart rhythm disorder that causes heartbeats that are "too fast, too slow, interrupted by long pauses — or an alternating combination of these rhythm issues." The condition is "relatively uncommon."
"The risk of developing it increases with age," the clinic notes. "Many people with sick sinus syndrome eventually need an implanted device called a pacemaker to keep the heart in a regular rhythm."
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Bowen previously discussed the condition in a 2011 interview with WebMD. She said at the time that her pacemaker "serves as a monitor for me," adding that she is grateful "to live during a time when the technology exists to treat my condition."
She also noted that she doesn't "hear or feel" the device.
In fact, when Bowen's pacemaker was brought up on the "Inside of You" podcast, she said, "That's right. I forget about that all the time."
This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: What is sick sinus syndrome? Julie Bowen discusses heart disorder
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