Heart Rate (PVC's)

[ardx74]

Hello Doctor,

I've posted here once before and would like to first thank you for your forum and expertise.  My question is related to heart rates.  Vital stats: 28 year old caucasion male, 5' 11", 190lbs, athletic most my life,  in good health. Three questions:

1. I generally have a resting heart rate of 46-48BPM at full rest, and through Bruce Protocal Testing found a maximum HR of 184BPM. My question, which confuses me; from what I understand is that resting heart increases with age? Does this mean the older one gets the resting heart rate increases or decreases i.e. age: 20-60BPM age:50-70BPM, or the opposite the older one gets the resting heart rate decreases: i.e. age: 20-60BPM age: 50-45BPM - this is just a hypothetical example of course. Not to be confused by your answer, does the resting heart (BPM) go lower with age?

2.I seldom experience a stronger heart beat, from what I understand a pause followed by a stronger heart beat resulting from larger blood flow.  I've been tested 3 times with a holter and found a resting rate at sleep of 35BPM and a pause of 2.2sec being the longest (1 PVC). My questin is related to PAC's & PVC's. Would a slower heart rate encourage "radical" electrical impulses to cause these arrythmia's which are normally cancelled out by stronger "rythmic" impulses which result in normal heart rythm.

3.Finall question: My Cardiologist explained that every single human being will have minimal PAC's & PVC's ranging from 0-100/Day which they may or may not notice.  Is this true, every person?

Thank you kindly, Happy Holidays and New Year

[Gnatty]

If you look under the thread - "Heart skips" - you will find a comment from BGA which I found really interesting and I'm going to follow up on. Like you, I sometimes get this gassy feeling when I'm having particularly noticeable heart skips, thumps, throat flutterings. In fact, not to put too fine a point on it, I find the need not so much to burp as to break wind!! Anyway, BGA said that he/she was diagnosed with H-pylori bacteria in the gastro-intestinal tract. I don't know much about this nasty critter, but I'd be willing to bet that indigestion and bloating could be part of it.Perhaps you could follow up on it too and see how you go.

[dacr0w]

hello well ive been into hospital on the 24th and it was allso my birthday.. i was addmitted because i had another atack of a fast heart rate... i was monitored all night and in the morning the doctor let me go but put me on betablockers! 10mg. 3 times a day... im very scared about taking thease because i have a low Thyroid.. and tkae thyroxine for this... But im Still too low of level of thyroyed in the blood too give me a racing heart,... i know i sometimes get missbeats and strage things happing when im out because of nervs... but the eating thing is not because of nerousness or worry...... anyway thanks for the input ill read that book :P DACROW...( MIKE )

[peacjt@]

I too am interested in this matter dacr0w.  I have copied and pasted a couple of comments that I submitted and hope that more might respond to this subjet matter.  Hope this helps.  How about it everyone????



I am male, 40 yrs. old, 190 lbs. and 6' 3". I excercise and am in good shape. 99% of my pvc's are followed by burps. It sounds crazy but that is the truth. If I get gas that I have a hard time getting up, my pvc's are numerous. I can be laying down and get a lot of pvc's and then I can sit up and burp and then lay back down again and the pvc's go away. In June I overate a very large meal and ended up with extreme gas and acid indegestion. I went to bed that night and woke up the next morning with multiple pvc's. Ended up going to the E.R. and wore a holter for 24hrs. The results were multiple "safe" pvc's. The Dr. said it was okay. This went on for about a week and then they slowly went away (took about 3 months). Have some days where I have a few and others (only when I get gas) that I get multiple pvc's. I am on verapamil 240 SR and 25mg. lopressor. The verapamil was given for diagnosed mvp from an ultrasound 15 years ago but the last echo 6 months ago said it was "normal". Have tachycardia ocasionally at 200bpm. The lopressor was given to me in June to help the pvc's. Seemed to help. Always feel my pulse and can take my pulse by just looking at a clock. It usually beats hard. My stomach pulsates with each beat. Pulse rate at 60 bpm at rest. The best control that I have to reduce the pvc's is to eat right and take Rolaids, etc. at the first sign of gas. Sounds weird but its the truth. The gas will throw the pulse into a weird beat, but a good old burp and presto! They go away! HAS ANYONE ELSE EXPERIENCED THIS???????

  I can feel my pulse over anyplace on my body that has arteries where I can check my pulse. As I sit here at the computer I can feel it in my chest, arms, legs and even in my feet as I have my fingers on the keyboard. Weird. My Pvc's are still about the same as usual. If I don't get gas I usually don't get the pvc's. A good old fashioned burp helps more than anything. Seems like I am getting gas more than ever. Pepcid AC seems to help with additional Rolaids as needed. Alka Seltzer helps me burp but seems to cause additional gas too. Has anyone else discoverd anything that helps with these same symptoms????



  

[Ianna]

Hi,

You may look under the thread-question: 'Palpitations (premature beats)and Ultracet and/or Vioxx medication'- the date 11-12-2002 by Scottishlass. Then look for the comment from Mikeb. the date 11-23-2002; he's got a LOT to say about palp. PVC's and the relation to the stomach (and his solution). Very interesting!
-
Good luck, and ohh yes, I often have the same problems you have, but now I am following ( as well as I can) the advice if Mikeb.
and feel a lot better.
Sometimes I cheat and eat the things I should not, but overall I'm much better. Just try!!
-
Bey - ***Ianna***

[Steve-M]

There are more reasons for your heart to speed up and/or develope weird beats than people on this forum.

Having said that, you might be interested in a book I read years ago about food allergies and heart rate. In the book it talks about using your pulse rate to discover foods and inhalants you might be allergic to. He states in the book that if your heart rate increases by so many beats per minute or goes over a certain threshold, that you are very likely allergic. This is assuming you are at rest and have no cold or infection present. (As an example, when the authors wife ate potatoes her heart rate would go over 180 BPM). It sounded similar to what you were describing with your heart rate going up after eating. However, you didn't say if this occurred after every meal or just occasionally. The name of the book is "The Pulse Test" and was written by Arthur F. Coca, MD.

As for the weird beats, I would look through the archives on this forum for some very good information on esophageal irritation, stomach acid, and PVC's etc.

[dacr0w]

hello everyone im mark from the UK... im only 30 years old and after eating meals or any food i get plapertaions and a tackicardia ( heart increase ) ive Seen the Doctor about it and all he said was take some beta blockes for it... the thing is my heart os norm ok.. untill i eat.. ave BPM is 60 to 70 and when ive eaten something ( hour after) it goes up too 120+ BPM then slows dow and does all sorts of strange things... its getting on my nervs and would like some ansewrs.. thanks for ya time

[ardx74]

Thank you for your input.  This information will only be based on experience, by no means am I doctor or a cardiologist.  As in the the other threads, by theory, the more physical activity exereted will result in a higher heart rate.  Theoritically, the lower the heart rate at the same level of activity is a result of better conditioning.  There are alot of factors to take into effect, such as age, weight, gender, level of fitness etc.  Personally I find in comparison, for example in a boxing match, I will reach my Max HR quicker than my openent, that exertion results in quicker fatique.  In comparison to another male my age and weight in the exact same sort of circumstances, I would be considered athletic, but in comparison to a professional boxer, I would be considered average at best.  The same would go for running, it takes me 1 hour of jogging to cover about 6-7KM, that for a guy weighing almost 200lbs would be the equivalant of my jogging bugy weighting 160lbs carrying a 40lbs back-pack during his jogg, I think then I would come in at a better time.  All in all, body types, genetics play a large role, PVC's PAC's and other arryithmias definatly make your heart less efficient on their occurance only; compared to a normal heart rythm - what does this mean, reading many posts and listening to many opions - I don't think anyone other than God has a definite answer. I guess we just want to hear that our hearts are healthy and we can continue living our normal lives, either athletic, normal or the couch-potatoe.  According to your post, the beta blocker will lower your heart rate artifically keeping you away from your MHR, probably allowing for better endurance? Sounds probable?  Again your trained heart is used to the higher rates so it's possible it's only in your mind as confidence? I can't say that I feel normal, but what is normal, maybe we're expecting to much performace from our individual body types.  I was told by a cardiologist that "you can a thourough-bred race horse but you can never train a donkey to be one".  I find my HR picks up quickly and takes longer to recover after a work-out, by this I mean after a run at 165BPM, it recovers to 80 after about 2-3min but stays around 70-80BPM for a few hours before it reaches 48-50BPM again.  I had one question for you, did you have skipped beats when you were younger and then develop the VT?  Did the VT just come on one day.  My only concern is that time will make things worse, worrying about the future is always a concern, the near future that is.  Thanks, best wishes, Alex.

[gopaddling]

I am fascinated with this thread. I too am an athlete and was diagnosed 7 years ago with paroxysmal atrial tachycardia by way of a stress test which didn't show up until 5 minutes after the test was "over."
I am 37 years old and train in the Summer for marathon canoe/kayak paddling. It is mostly aerobic but a lot of upper body strength is used in the power stroke. In the Winter I ride a stationary bike to keep up aerobic conditioning and weight train to increase strength before the next season.
Like the initiator of this thread, I may lie on the couch with a resting heart rate of 52 and hop up to get the door and I may hit 120+. By contrast, others I train with can't get their rate over 120 without some serious physical stress. I attributed this to my condition, because in competition, I am approaching their capacity. Is this true or is the difference in aerobic capacity between my time and that "one minute" in a 2 hour race that much different?
Also, I only take a beta blocker (25mg Tenormin) if I know I am going to experience an adrenalin rush not from athletics (stage fright, etc.) or if it is just acting up more than normal while at rest. However, recently I have noticed that if I take 1/2 this dose the day before a workout, my performance seems to INCREASE (my heart rate is lower than usual for me, but the same workout seems easier.) Is there an explanation for this?
I'm trying to figure out if this is causing me any issues in competition - compared to an average person, I would be considered to be in excellent shape and disregarded, but compared to another athelete, is this a hinderance?
Thanks for any input.

[ardx74]

Thanks for the input Ken.  The only conflicating data with stroke volume being, even though I'm athletically conditioned by running, weight training, swimming, boxing etc... I still find that at rest, ie. lying on the couch and having a BPM of 50 and getting up and walking up a flight of stairs, my BPM will reach 120 within 3-4 seconds.  I though an increase stroke volume will definatly result in a lower heart rate upon minimal exericse.  Or is the opposite true - a conditioned heart responds quicker to physical demand? Hmmm... as long as I live another 60 years (to 88) then I have nothing to worry about! LOL

Thanks, Alex.

[sman3626]

Based on what I have read, heart rate will remain the same, and perhaps decrease a little bit, but the stroke volume will be larger and therefore allow more work with the same amount of heartbeats.  For example, you and a non-conditioned person both run a 5k, and you both maintain 165 bpm.  Theoretically, you should end up with a faster time.  Also, the hearts ability to respond rapidly to changes in workload is an indicator of heart health.  Therefore, if you jump up off the chair with a resting heartrate of 50 and run up the stairs and it quickly climbs to 120 because 120 is what the body needs is much more healthy than a heart that jumps only to 90 but really needs 120. There is a term for this, but I can't remember what it is.

If you want peace of mind, go get a stress echo to see how your heart is really working...that's what I did.  Just remember, you will have to reach or get close to your MHR, and usually a trained athlete will take a bit longer to get there...around 175-180 bpm!

Ken S.

[sman3626]

Check out this article...very informative for athletic persons with pvc's...

http://www.merck.com/pubs/mmanual/section16/chapter213/213a.htm

Ken S.

[CCF-M.D.-KE]

Dear Ardx74,

As people age the maximum predicted heart rate (MPHR) and the intrinsic heart rate (IHR) both decline as exemplified by the following equations:

MPHR= 220-age
IHR= 117.2  - [0.53  x  age]
With this in mind the resting heart rate has many influences which include one's medication regimen and one's level of physical conditioning.

In the setting of a structurally normal heart PVCs and PACs do not significantly impact a person's long term outcome.
A slower heart rate is not particularly associated with more PVCs or PACs. However, depending on the stimulus for an increased heart rate, PVCs may be induced. Your cardiologist is correct, every one may experience a PAC or a PVC which may or may not be noticed by the person. Hope this helps.

Thanks for your question,


CCF-MD-KE