Scar tissue within the coronary heart was related to irregular coronary heart rhythms amongst wholesome, long-time male endurance athletes aged 50 or older, doubtlessly rising their danger of sudden cardiac dying, in line with a small examine printed in Circulation: Cardiovascular Imaging, an American Coronary heart Affiliation journal.
An irregular rhythm originating from a ventricular coronary heart chamber, known as ventricular tachycardia, is taken into account one of the crucial critical varieties of irregular coronary heart rhythm. This can be very harmful and may result in sudden cardiac dying. Sudden cardiac arrest is a number one explanation for dying in athletes, largely affecting older males.
Myocardial fibrosis—the scarring or thickening of coronary heart muscle tissue—has beforehand been linked to irregular heartbeats; nevertheless, the way it impacts in any other case wholesome endurance athletes stays unclear.
“Harmful coronary heart rhythms throughout sport are fortunately uncommon,” mentioned senior examine creator Peter Swoboda, M.B.B.S., Ph.D., an affiliate professor of cardiology on the College of Leeds within the U.Ok. “In sure extremely educated athletes—notably as they grow old—it’s potential to establish scarred coronary heart tissue by way of magnetic resonance imaging. We needed to research whether or not harmful coronary heart rhythms in endurance athletes is likely to be brought on by coronary heart scarring.
“Our primary goal was to assist endurance athletes proceed to take part safely in sports activities, notably as they grow old,” he mentioned.
The examine, known as VENTOUX, was named after a well-known mountain climb within the world-renowned Tour de France bike race. The researchers adopted 106 male cyclists/triathletes aged 50 or older, who had no signs of coronary heart illness. All had educated at the least 10 hours every week for 15 years or extra.
The members underwent cardiovascular magnetic resonance (CMR) imaging, a specialised check that makes use of magnetic fields to provide detailed photos of the center. In addition they had an ECG recorder implanted below the pores and skin of their chest that recorded each heartbeat for 2 years.
Throughout a median follow-up of two years, researchers discovered:
- Nearly half of the athletes (47.2%) confirmed indicators of scarring on the left ventricle of the center; and
- About 3% of the athletes displayed a sustained, doubtlessly harmful quick coronary heart charge originating within the decrease chambers of the center, whereas 19% skilled shorter bursts of speedy heartbeats.
Any participant who developed a doubtlessly dangerous rhythm was contacted urgently to evaluate signs and suggested to hunt impartial medical consideration.
“We didn’t count on the affiliation between scarring and harmful rhythms to be this sturdy,” Swoboda mentioned. “Related findings have been reported in sufferers with coronary heart muscle illness. Nonetheless, we didn’t count on this in wholesome, efficiency athletes.”
He urged any athlete who experiences chest ache, dizziness or palpitations throughout exercise to hunt therapy and likewise suggested, “It is necessary that everybody concerned in sports activities is aware of CPR and the right way to use an automatic exterior defibrillator.”
Though the annual incidence of sudden cardiac dying throughout sports activities varies amongst research, the annual charge of irregular coronary heart rhythms detected on this examine was significantly larger than charges among the many common inhabitants.
The examine has a number of limitations, corresponding to together with a small variety of very choose members. The findings might not apply to individuals not represented within the examine: girls, non-athletes or non-European cyclists. As well as, the findings couldn’t differentiate whether or not the cardiac scarring itself was the reason for irregular coronary heart rhythms or if it was a marker for a separate underlying course of.
Future analysis will look at girls, the authors mentioned.
Extra data:
Ventricular Arrhythmia and Cardiac Fibrosis in Endurance Skilled Athletes (VENTOUX), Circulation Cardiovascular Imaging (2025). DOI: 10.1161/CIRCIMAGING.125.018470
Quotation:
Scar tissue in athletes’ hearts tied to larger danger of harmful cardiac rhythms (2025, July 17)
retrieved 17 July 2025
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