Skip to main content

Arrhythmias more common in intense athletes: study

Cross-country skiers who have completed more races at faster speeds have a higher risk of developing a heart rhythm disorder than their slower, less-seasoned peers, a new study from Sweden suggests.

Researchers found athletes who completed at least five races over ten years were 30 percent more likely to be diagnosed with an irregular heartbeat, known as an arrhythmia, than those who only finished one race.

 

"It supports the notion that's been around forever that athletes are not immune to heart disease," said Dr. Aaron Baggish, who studies athletes' heart health but wasn't involved in the new research.

Still, the new findings don't prove athletes' extra exertion caused heart problems.

Previous studies suggested that endurance athletes were at an increased risk of atrial fibrillation (AF), a type of rhythm disorder affecting the heart's upper chambers, but few looked at large numbers of athletes. AF raises the risk of blood clots and stroke.

For the new study, Dr. Kasper Andersen from Uppsala University and his colleagues tracked about 53,000 cross-country skiers who completed the annual 56-mile Vasaloppet race in Sweden between 1989 and 1998.

Overall, 919 of the skiers developed an irregular heartbeat during the study, which ran through 2005.

About 2.7 percent of skiers who completed the race at least five times during the decade developed an irregular rhythm, compared to about 1.4 percent of those who completed one race.

What's more, those who finished the race in the shortest amount of time were about 30 percent more likely to develop an arrhythmia than slower skiers.

The most common type of arrhythmia in the study was AF. But the researchers also found an increased risk of a slow heartbeat, known as bradyarrhythmia, with greater racing experience.

Andersen said he was surprised to see a higher risk of slow heart rhythms among intense athletes, because that had not been reported in past studies.

"It hasn't really been suggested before," he told Reuters Health.

Baggish, associate director of the Cardiovascular Performance Program at the Massachusetts General Hospital Heart Center in Boston, said it's hard to know what to do with the finding about slow heart rhythms.

But he said the study does support what's known about athletes and AF - and there are probably multiple reasons for their extra risk.

The researchers write in the European Heart Journal that training or competing may trigger arrhythmias as the heart adjusts to increased or decreased activity.

But both Baggish and Andersen cautioned that these findings shouldn't keep people from playing sports.

_0">

"I think it would be a mistake for people to interpret this as a reason to avoid this type of lifestyle," Baggish told Reuters Health. It's still unknown, he said, whether athletes have more or fewer arrhythmias than those in the general population.

_1">

"There are a lot of positive effects of physical activities and exercise, which I think will outweigh the increased risk of rhythm disturbance," Andersen said, adding that athletes should still listen to their bodies.

_2">

SOURCE: bit.ly/11vngDg European Heart Journal, online June 12, 2013.

_3">

Popular posts from this blog

Study Abroad USA, College of Charleston, Popular Courses, Alumni

Thinking for Study Abroad USA. School of Charleston, the wonderful grounds is situated in the actual middle of a verifiable city - Charleston. Get snatched up by the wonderful and customary engineering, beautiful pathways, or look at the advanced steel and glass building which houses the School of Business. The grounds additionally gives students simple admittance to a few major tech organizations like Amazon's CreateSpace, Google, TwitPic, and so on. The school offers students nearby as well as off-grounds convenience going from completely outfitted home lobbies to memorable homes. It is prepared to offer different types of assistance and facilities like clubs, associations, sporting exercises, support administrations, etc. To put it plainly, the school grounds is rising with energy and there will never be a dull second for students at the College of Charleston. Concentrate on Abroad USA is improving and remunerating for your future. The energetic grounds likewise houses various

Best MBA Online Colleges in the USA

“Opportunities never open, instead we create them for us”. Beginning with this amazing saying, let’s unbox today’s knowledge. Love Business and marketing? Want to make a high-paid career in business administration? Well, if yes, then mate, we have got you something amazing to do!   We all imagine an effortless future with a cozy house and a laptop. Well, well! You can make this happen. Today, with this guide, we will be exploring some of the top-notch online MBA universities and institutes in the USA. Let’s get started! Why learn Online MBA from the USA? Access to More Options This online era has given a second chance to children who want to reflect on their careers while managing their hectic schedules. In this, the internet has played a very crucial in rejuvenating schools, institutes, and colleges to give the best education to students across the globe. Graduating with Less Debt Regular classes from high reputed institutes often charge heavy tuition fees. However onl

Sickening moment maskless 'Karen' COUGHS in the face of grocery store customer, then claims she doesn't have to wear a mask because she 'isn't sick'

A woman was captured on camera following a customer through a supermarket as she coughs on her after claiming she does not need a mask because she is not sick.  Video of the incident, which has garnered hundreds of thousands of views on Twitter alone, allegedly took place in a Su per Saver in Lincoln, Nebraska according to Twitter user @davenewworld_2. In it, an unidentified woman was captured dramatically coughing as she smiles saying 'Excuse me! I'm coming through' in the direction of the customer recording her. Scroll down for video An unidentified woman was captured dramatically coughing as she smiles saying 'Excuse me! I'm coming through' in the direction of a woman recording her A woman was captured on camera following a customer as she coughs on her in a supermarket without a mask on claiming she does not need one because she is not sick @chaiteabugz #karen #covid #karens #karensgonewild #karensalert #masks we were just wearing a mask at the store. ¿ o