'athletes heart'/abnormal ECG

[andy_s]

So...

Me and Mrs_S are running in an event which requires a pre-race ECG, which we've duly had done today, both of us are in fine fettle but hers came back as 'abnormal' and mine came back as 'borderline'. Most unusual.
Our resting heart rates are both 58bpm, so that's 'bradycardia' for a start, she's also got slight arythmia.
Concerned, I used my powers of Google-Fu and found a condition called 'athletes heart'. This, apparently manifests itself with bradycardia and arrythmia. She runs/walks 12 miles a day and I do about the same and apparently this level of excersize causes an enlarging of the heart which then leads to the two indicators above.
Now, we have to present these to a French medic in a tent in the middle of nowhere next week with 'abnormal' scrawled across them, if we get turned back at that stage it will be devestation on the _S household, to put it mildly.
Any docs or other can shed any light on this situation in general and offer any advice before seeing the GP on Wednesday for the final medical?

[Animal]

Might be worth contacting the organisers to find out what their stance will be?

I'm guessing that many highly-trained athletes will be bradycardic (if that's the correct term!) Resting bradycardia must be considered normal in those cases (Miguel Indurain's resting hr was 28bpm!) - if no other symptoms are present (e.g. heart attack symptoms).

[andy_s]

Animal said:

Might be worth contacting the organisers to find out what their stance will be?

I'm guessing that many highly-trained athletes will be bradycardic (if that's the correct term!) Resting bradycardia must be considered normal in those cases (Miguel Indurain's resting hr was 28bpm!) - if no other symptoms are present (e.g. heart attack symptoms).

Thanks, good idea. I spoke to a sports cardiologist and he seemed to concur, I'll print off some of the stuff to take to the GPs tomorrow so that she can bone up on the subject before declaring us potential death cases.

[Vron]

someone I know who is a serious serious road cyclist has a resting heart rate of 32bpm. When he had to have an op he had to pre warn the Anaesthetist that was his normal rate!

[maddog993]

Your 'arrythmia', as Left Ventricular Hypertrphy, is manifested on the ecg by abnormally elevated 'qrs' waves on the ecg, along with the relative bradycardia (anything below 60bpm is technically bradycardia). The ecg diagnostic system is programmed with an algorithm to acknowledge such an ecg as 'abnormal'- on the basis that Ventricular Hypertrophy and/or Bradycardia is often pathological - but from what you describe -in the context of you and your wife it and your states of physical fitness - it sounds quite normal. If there's nothing else insidious additional to this (and if he's any good), the medic should recognise them as such.

Edited by maddog993 on Tuesday 23 March 21:35

[andy_s]

maddog993 said:

Your 'arrythmia', as Left Ventricular Hypertrphy, is manifested on the ecg by abnormally elevated 'qrs' waves on the ecg, along with the relative bradycardia (anything below 60bpm is technically bradycardia). The ecg diagnostic system is programmed with an algorithm to acknowledge such an ecg as 'abnormal'- on the basis that Ventricular Hypertrophy and/or Bradycardia is often pathological - but from what you describe -in the context of you and your wife it and your states of physical fitness - it sounds quite normal. If there's nothing else insidious additional to this (and if he's any good), the medic should recognise them as such.

Thanks very much, that's pretty much what we've concluded and by extension the inspecting medics are likely to get another 200-odd ECGs in similar states, so we're a bit reassured.

For info, lady_S has 'sinus bradycardia with sinus arrhythmia with first degree av block', I've got 'sinus bradycardia, st elevation, probably early repolarisation [st elevation with normally inflected T wave]'.

Thanks again for your time maddog.

[maddog993]

andy_s said:

maddog993 said:

Your 'arrythmia', as Left Ventricular Hypertrphy, is manifested on the ecg by abnormally elevated 'qrs' waves on the ecg, along with the relative bradycardia (anything below 60bpm is technically bradycardia). The ecg diagnostic system is programmed with an algorithm to acknowledge such an ecg as 'abnormal'- on the basis that Ventricular Hypertrophy and/or Bradycardia is often pathological - but from what you describe -in the context of you and your wife it and your states of physical fitness - it sounds quite normal. If there's nothing else insidious additional to this (and if he's any good), the medic should recognise them as such.

Thanks very much, that's pretty much what we've concluded and by extension the inspecting medics are likely to get another 200-odd ECGs in similar states, so we're a bit reassured.

For info, lady_S has 'sinus bradycardia with sinus arrhythmia with first degree av block', I've got 'sinus bradycardia, st elevation, probably early repolarisation [st elevation with normally inflected T wave]'.

Thanks again for your time maddog.

No worries - (you've probably googled all this ...) the 1st degree block of your wife is indicative of a delay between depolarisation of the atria and depolarisation of the ventricles but is again entirely consistent with supremely fit people.
Similarly, in your case, the ST elevation along with 'J' point elevation/'T' wave upward inflection (indicative of early repolarisation), once again fit the pattern for a 'honed athlete' (as compared to the ST elevation with downward/'convex' 'T' wave inflection indicative of an acute Myocardial Infarction!) so unless they're suspecting you've got Brugada syndrome (which is a hereditary Cardiac disorder) it sounds like there's nothing to worry about.

Edited by maddog993 on Wednesday 24th March 12:06

[andy_s]

Thanks again maddog, just to let you know that the GP came to the same conclusion after consulting with a few people, so all's well.

Cheers - most helpful.

Edited by andy_s on Saturday 27th March 10:09