(Ivanhoe Newswire) -- Endurance sports can lead to potentially deadly changes in the heart, according to a new study.
Belgian researchers report most endurance athletes who have ventricular arrhythmia (VA) have dysfunctional right ventricles. VA is a condition in which the heart beats at an abnormal rate and rhythm. It can cause sudden death in athletes.
Previous research suggests arrhythmia in endurance athletes, like cyclists, runners and kayakers, often stems from the right ventricle and is sometimes blamed on a condition called arrhythmogenic right ventricular cardiomyopathy (ARVC). Thirty percent to 50 percent of people with this dangerous condition will have family history of it.
Researchers compared 22 endurance athletes with VA to 15 endurance athletes without VA and a group of non-athletes without the condition. They report all athletes with VA had a higher end-diastolic right ventricular volume compared to the non-athletes -- a measurement pointing to distinct differences in the hearts of endurance athletes. The researchers could only pin the arrhythmias on ARVC in six of the 22 patients with VA, meaning the rest could have been caused by abnormalities in the heart caused by their sport.
The study authors write one explanation is the athletes had arrhythmias in the early stage of underlying ARVC, triggered by intense exercising. Another theory is exercise also promoted the RV changes, along with other environmental or genetic factors, which then led to arrhythmias.
Researchers say endurance athletes should not worry too much because ventricular arrhythmias are rare, but they need to be careful and see a doctor if they have a family history of ARVC, arrhythmias, sudden death, or other heart complaints. Light-headedness, palpitations, or fainting brought on by exercise are other symptoms to watch for.
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SOURCE: European Heart Journal, published online Jan. 22, 2007
