Arrythmia caused by extreme/strenuous physical activity

[Joseph Nelson]

Back in my 20's doc's said don't worry about small arrhythmias. Now 63 and still working strenuously, I notice more and more frequently, a steady arrythmia after working anywhere from one to 3 hours.  btw, I'm not overweight (been 128-132 for 30 years). In the Medical Library on this site, there is mention of treatment of arrythmia with drugs. What drug is it and how does it effect a change? Who would I contact for a professional assessment? Thank you!  - Joe Nelson

[Bob Edwards]

I"m 40y/o male who as been  very athletic for most of my life, but for about 6mths I"ve been been having palpataion,headaches and runs of VT also with chest discomfort mainly in the mornings Have had holter moniter, dopler and seen by several cardiologist and my heart is found to be healthy. Was prescribed dilantin for seizure disorder about 13 years ago but have not taken it regularly.Was told by neurologist that it did not cause heart problems. Have history of murmur and was recently told that I had some leakage which that was not a problem. I want to continue my running but it scares me of what may happen. Aslo another thing there are times when I"m lifting or moving in a certain way that I can feel palpatations. My private physician thinks that I should probably take a depressant.                  Can a flu shot cause a problem

[marje]

I have an 8 year old son that has irregular heartbeats at times. I've had echos,holter monitor,and stress test done on him. I was told it must be anxioty attacks.  There were a few occasions when he thought he was going to faint and he got pale and weak in the legs. He would sometimes be just sitting watching tv and it happened.  He plays travel hockey and I am really worried with all the children getting missed diagnosed by some doctors and dropping dead doing the things they love like my son with his hockey. What I guess I need to know is could he have something along the line of Wolf Parkins White sydrome?  Could you give me any information you may have on it ?  Thank you for your time!

[John Miller]

For a good portion of my adult life I have had brief periods of what appeared to be irregular heart beats.  This past year they became more frequent so I decided to have a cardiologist check them out.  I used an event monitor for several weeks and learned that the irregularities are pre atrial contractions.  The doctor assured me that they were benign and I have a healthy heart.  He said if they became annoying I could try some medication.  I did try Toprol for several months but did not like the feeling of lethargy that seemed to be a side effect so I stopped taking it.  I am taking medication (Klonapen) for anxiety and panic attacks and started taking a diuretic for mild hypertension.  When I do feel the sensations of the PACs I feel anxious.  I love to exercise but hesitate at times when I sense irregularities with my heartbeat.  This is something I need to work through as I am used to an active lifestyle of running, hiking, backpacking and skiing.  I'm sure that others have gone through similar experienes.  Any suggestions or advice on how to work through this?  Thanks.

[Joe]

Samantha, that was my first time ever here and I had no idea that only one "Q" was taken per day!  At any rate, being up at 4am (EST) everyday, I just stumbled in here and got a quick answer! By way of follow up: I gave some thought to the timing of the arrthymia and decided the next time to breathe deeply for an extended period of time. It may or may not have helped, as I also increased my dosage of Microhydrin yesterday. As usual, after a strenous session at 10 below zero on a windswept lake w/ a chainsaw, I perceived "it" again. Within a few minutes of deep-breathing, it passed -- and I was fine all last evening.  That's definite progress! I plan to fine-tune this a little more.  - Joe

[samantha]

Joe, may I ask what time of morning you posted your question? I need some help in narrowing down the time frame that constitutes a "new day". Thanks for your help and good luck with your tests.

[Joseph Nelson]

Thank you for your answer!  I've heard of the "Holter monitor" and will have that done. I've easily listened to my own heartbeat with my wife's (she's a nurse) "stethiscope?" The episodes are getting to be extremely predictable now (afer heavy work). I had never bothered much about it in the past, but now the frequent occurences and length of episode is of concern, and hearing it on the 'scope is very scary at first. One easily wonders: "Will it start up again?" <grin>
Again, Thanks!!  - Joe

[Cleveland Clinic, MD]

Dear Joe,

Thank you for your question.  The term arrhythmia encompases a large variety of problems from the benign to the serious.  The good news is that the majority of things that people call arrhythmia are benign.  The bad news is that the rare ones that are serious can be life-threatening.

The only way to diagnosis what type of arrhythmia someone has is to record the electrical signal from the heart while someone is having the arrhythmia.  This is usually done with a test called a Holter monitor.  Most internists and all cardiologists can order this test.  If the Holter monitor fails to capture the arrhythmia a longer test called an event or loop monitor can be used.  In rare circumstances an implantable device is used to record the arhythmia.  

Once the diagnosis has been made treatment recommendations can be made.  Most benign arrhythmias require no treatment.  Some require medical treatment and a few require either ablation or device management.

Hope this helps.  Your internist or cardiologist will be able to assist you further.