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Asthma and Allergy (Expert Forum)
Athlete can't run
Answered by
MN
This forum is for questions and support regarding: Allergies, Asthma, Chronic Cough, Sinusitis, and other Respiratory Disorders.
Athlete can't run
by Jwjames, Oct 03, 2007 05:50PM
My daughter is 15 and plays at a high level in soccer. Recently she started complaining about her "heart hearting" When asked what all of her symptoms were she stated. "After running for a few minutes my heart starts heartng and it is hard to take a deep breath. She explains that it feels like she needs to crack her chest. Like you would crack your knuckles or back. She has also stated that her heart is beating fast during this time. She starts breathing heavy after about 4 minutes of running. She plays soccer year round, works with a personnal trainer for speed and agility. She was and still should be in "tip top" shape. So far she has been cleared by both Asthma and Allergy specialist. She has had chest x-rays which were fine. She has had a EKG. Checked out fine. She is now scheduled to see an ENT. This is really affecting her. She was recruited to play soccer by a top ranked private school and now she can only play for about 5 minutes before she has to come out. The medical process has been slow. We still have no idea what the procnosis is. If anyone has experienced anything similiar or has any suggestions we would appreciate it.
Doctor's Answer
by National Jewish Health, Oct 10, 2007 04:30PM
, Oct 10, 2007 04:30PM
The cause of a rapid heart beat and shortness of breath with exertion in a young person almost always originates in the heart or lungs – but not always.
You state, "So far she has been cleared by both Asthma and Allergy specialist. She has had chest x-rays which were fine. She has had a EKG. Checked out fine. She is now scheduled to see an ENT."
This suggests that she does not have asthma but does not rule out other causes of obstruction to airflow into and out of the lungs such as upper airway obstruction from collapsing airways, vocal cord dysfunction or an inflammatory growth in the larynx, or trachea. That is why your decision to seek ENT consultation is so important, to rule out these causes.
In addition to direct observation of the larynx and upper airways by the ENT, 2 additional tests could be helpful, one to rule out airway obstruction and the other to further rule out heart disease. The first of these would be a treadmill exercise test with post-exercise spirometry, a simple breathing test; the second, an echocardiogram to rule out heart disease, not evident on the chest x-ray or electrocardiogram (EKG).
One final consideration that must not be ignored is anxiety with panic attacks. Doctors are often reluctant to consider this diagnosis and parents unwilling to accept it, but it is not rare in high-performance athletes, who are under great pressure to succeed. The symptoms cannot be distinguished from those of heart or lung disease – the feeling is very real. The good news is that, if your daughter is having panic attacks, it is a treatable condition and you will all be relieved to know that her heart and lungs are fine.
Please give us a follow-up to let us know how you are doing.
Good luck
You state, "So far she has been cleared by both Asthma and Allergy specialist. She has had chest x-rays which were fine. She has had a EKG. Checked out fine. She is now scheduled to see an ENT."
This suggests that she does not have asthma but does not rule out other causes of obstruction to airflow into and out of the lungs such as upper airway obstruction from collapsing airways, vocal cord dysfunction or an inflammatory growth in the larynx, or trachea. That is why your decision to seek ENT consultation is so important, to rule out these causes.
In addition to direct observation of the larynx and upper airways by the ENT, 2 additional tests could be helpful, one to rule out airway obstruction and the other to further rule out heart disease. The first of these would be a treadmill exercise test with post-exercise spirometry, a simple breathing test; the second, an echocardiogram to rule out heart disease, not evident on the chest x-ray or electrocardiogram (EKG).
One final consideration that must not be ignored is anxiety with panic attacks. Doctors are often reluctant to consider this diagnosis and parents unwilling to accept it, but it is not rare in high-performance athletes, who are under great pressure to succeed. The symptoms cannot be distinguished from those of heart or lung disease – the feeling is very real. The good news is that, if your daughter is having panic attacks, it is a treatable condition and you will all be relieved to know that her heart and lungs are fine.
Please give us a follow-up to let us know how you are doing.
Good luck
She did have the treadmill exercise test this past week and all checked out. She is scheduled to have the echocardiogram next week. Vocal Cord Disfunction or Anxiety seem to be where everyone who has seen her is leaning. Hopefully the ENT will be able to narrow this down. She sees ENT in 2 weeks.Once this is complete I will let you know where we are at. Again Thank you for your time. It's amazing without seeing her you are as close to anyone at solving her issues.
I just wanted to share my thoughts since it sounded very similar to my previous situation. Good luck