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Heart Disease (Expert Forum)
heart size?
This forum is for questions and support regarding heart issues such as: Angina, Angioplasty, Arrhythmia, Bypass Surgery, Cardiomyopathy, Coronary Artery Disease, Defibrillator, Heart Attack, Heart Disease, High Blood Pressure, Mitral Valve Prolapse, Pacemaker, PAD, Stenosis, Stress Tests.
heart size?
by Becky__0__0, Jan 13, 1999 12:00AM
Hello,
My heart currently beats at 27 bpm at rest. I am an international female cyclist, age 25. Is my heart so big that it affects my aerobic capacity..ie: does it affect the SPEED at which the heart gets up to my maximum? It takes 5 mins to get up to lactic threshold 169, then even when I go up to maximum effort ie..beyond 169 I only go 3 beats beyond, peaking ina pool of lactic acid by 172 bpm?
No one in the sports physiology world seem to have any answers. My heart seems to be terribly slow, even giving me faintness when getting up quickly everyday. I also notice I wake up at night with a sudden 'jolt' to my whole body - in response to this massive heart..
Any information on extreme bradycardia in sports people would be of great help....
Becky
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Dear Becky,
Thank you for your question. You are obviously in peak physical form and your heart is powerful enough that you only need 27 beats per minute to supply your body's resting oxygen demand. Generally no treatment is needed in these situations.
The predicted peak heart rate in an "average" 25 year old would be about 195. In your case the limiting factor to your maximum performance is lactic acid production and not heart rate. The faintness when standing rapidly does not concern me and only indicates a need to rise slower. I am not sure what the "jolt" is but it is probably a "myoclonic jerk" and is normal. The size of the heart will return to normal if you were to stop training and should not overly concern you.
I have forwarded your message and email address to Dr. Peter Snell at the University of Texas Southwestern. Dr. Snell is a well known athlete and exercise physiologist who has an interest in world class athletes. If he has an additional ideas or suggestions for testing he will email you. Good luck in all of your competition.
I hope you find this information useful. Information provided in the heart forum is for general purposes only. Only your physician can provide specific diagnoses and therapies. Please feel free to write back with additional questions.
If you would like to make an appointment at the Cleveland Clinic Heart Center, please call 1-800-CCF-CARE or inquire online by using the Heart Center website at www.ccf.org/heartcenter. The Heart Center website contains a directory of the cardiology staff that can be used to select the physician best suited to address your cardiac problem.
