Yesterday, I had an EKG done as part of a research trial I’m in at work, not because I was having any symptoms.
I expected bradycardia and indeed my heart rate was between 40-42 bpm, but there was also something alarming. The readout listed “RSR or QR pattern in V1 suggest right ventricular conduction delay.”
I feel slight arhythmic palpitations at random times, but thought nothing of it and contributed it to stress until now. I also have always had very low blood pressure and while I have never fainted, I often get dizzy/black out when I stand from sitting.
Does anyone know if this is a red flag or can this be attributed to my training or stress?
I had an abnormal EKG last year before my big race…got me really freaked out. The cardiologist said that he didn’t know why this was coming up on my reading but that he always erred on the side of caution and he would discontinue racing. I couldn’t believe that he was telling me that he didn’t know what was wrong or why I should stop racing but that is exactly what he said. I didn’t know what to do but I knew I didn’t want to stop racing. Needless to say my family was very concerned for me during my next race…they were all expecting to see me fall over at the finish line.
After the race I started researching to find a sports specific cardiologist clinic to see if I could get an answer. The only one that I could find in the country that specialized in athlete cardiologist issues was the Mayo Clinic. I went up there a few weeks later and underwent two days of testing. At the end the final result was that I had athletic heart syndrome and that the abnormality on the EKG was not life threatenting but was rather a very, very slight difference between the pumping of my heart on the left and right side. The team of doctors that I worked with assured me that there was nothing to worry about and that the other doctor just didn’t read the results as deeply as they did. I recommend that you get it checked out further but make sure it is someone that has the experience to truly diagnose the cause and not just tell you to stop racing on a whim.
I had an abnormal EKG last year before my big race…got me really freaked out. The cardiologist said that he didn’t know why this was coming up on my reading but that he always erred on the side of caution and he would discontinue racing. I couldn’t believe that he was telling me that he didn’t know what was wrong or why I should stop racing but that is exactly what he said. I didn’t know what to do but I knew I didn’t want to stop racing. Needless to say my family was very concerned for me during my next race…they were all expecting to see me fall over at the finish line.
After the race I started researching to find a sports specific cardiologist clinic to see if I could get an answer. The only one that I could find in the country that specialized in athlete cardiologist issues was the Mayo Clinic. I went up there a few weeks later and underwent two days of testing. At the end the final result was that I had athletic heart syndrome and that the abnormality on the EKG was not life threatenting but was rather a very, very slight difference between the pumping of my heart on the left and right side. The team of doctors that I worked with assured me that there was nothing to worry about and that the other doctor just didn’t read the results as deeply as they did. I recommend that you get it checked out further but make sure it is someone that has the experience to truly diagnose the cause and not just tell you to stop racing on a whim.
Hope that helps and good luck
I had a similar story. Abnormal EKG and a cardiologist i was referred to said the same thing.
Just had an abnormal EKG and was sent in for an echocardiogram. Diagnosis was a bicuspid aoritic valve. It still functions fine though. The echocardiogram seemed like a very detailed test.
i had the abnormal ekg at age 40 physical, put off exercise for a week until mri and nuclear stress test, 4000$ later, nothing wrong. it was normal for athletes. dig around and you will find alot about it especially on letsrun.com or coolrunning.com
I had an abnormal EKG also last summer and was referred for an echo and stress test. Stress test first, cardiologist indicated abnormal EKG pretty normal for endurance athletes (can’t remember specific indicators). Stress test went well, once I got to where I should be for my age he said, “let’s just see how long you can go…” with a laugh. That proved to me not fun, running up a treadmill at 18% before stopping. Echo was fine as well. I was worried about thickening of the lower chamber walls before the echo which can be problematic so it was a relief.
Do some research and you will find the typical EKG can be misleading for endurance athletes.
I’m only 27 and in good shape so I was a little shocked to see abnormal readings. I’m beginning to think that the nurses who administered the test made an error. They asked me to think exciting thoughts (I thought about racing Triple T) to raise my heart rate to the 50bpm baseline they needed for the research. I also talked during the test, which I’m sure can skew results.
It’s a computer…that computer doesn’t know you’re an athlete, and also doesn’t take into account normal variations in physiology…it compares you to a fairly rigid standard. A slightly delayed QR interval with an RHR of 40-42 is normal, if not expected. It would be abnormal if it stayed that way when you tried to exercise, in which case it would be some form of heart block…But you’d probably have found that out by now if you had it.
As noted, this “diagnosis” comes from the computer and will probably be reread by a physician who will discount it. It could be very early right bundle branch block, a tiny delay in the conduction of the heart that you would ignore. Importantly, it’s an isolated piece of data gathered in a study, not part of a work up for a problem you were experiencing. Or, if you get beaten up the hill on Sunday’s long bike by one of your friends because you stayed up too late last night watching the Olympics, this could be a great excuse. “Yep, it must be my old ventricular conduction delay acting up again.”
Were it me, I’d get the final human interpretation, ask them your question, and put a copy of the EKG and interpretation in a file in my desk for future reference.
Two things:
Could be serious, you could keel over and die tomorrow because of this (4 guys I have known in my athletic career have died of a heart problem). Get it checked out by an expert, and by that I mean a physician who works with athletes, not your local cardiologist who deals with old folks 24/7, or a family physician who says he’s a sports medicine guy. Locally to me one of the US speed skating doc’s has his office, and that is all he does, athletes, I would go and see him - you need to find the equivalent.
Two, see number 1.
Just reiterating what others have said, but get it checked out asap.
It looks like your a Hawkeye, so a) you should have access to the U’s resources and b) your going to be fine just because your a Hawkeye! Ask around and you’ll a cardio guy in Iowa City that knows what their doing.
x2 on what dnteatyellwsnow said. As an aviator I get EKGs done every year, mine always comes back abnormal, right branch bundle block. When I asked the flight surgeon about it his explanation was that basically EKGs are baselined to give results consistent with the average person, any deviation from that results in an ‘abnormal’ result.
I would be willing to bet that 90%+ of the people on this forum are in better shape than the average person.
Having said all of that, it’s still worth it to get it checked out if you can, it’s likely nothing but it could be something.
Don’t sweat it… Im a pilot and I get EKG’d every 2 years… Im 38 now and Ive been road racing since I was 17… I had the same thing as you except it was the left side popped up on the EKG… I like you starting freaking out…
Well the obvious you kinda need your heart
Now what… no cycling hard, no XC skiing hard… now what!!!
Well I kinda have to be healthy to hold my aviation medical…
In the end doc asks me soooo… you’re pretty lean, and have what looks like a cycling tan… yeah… asks me if I compete and for how long… so once the 20 years of racing story came out he just said yeah… your hearts expanded, electrical pulse isnt as strong for the size of the heart on that side, and said dont worry about it, and he has the same thing… he says he sees it all the time in people who lead extremely active lifestyles.
So funny thing is last December was my 2 year EKG anniversary… it never showed up… and I got him to to do it 2X to make sure… he had no explanation…
I am not a doctor (but I did stay at a Holiday Inn Express last night) but there are a number of tests that you may want to consider to try to ascertain if there is a more serious problem, even at a young age.
I am concerned not because of just the EKG but the syncope. Someone mentioned the possibilty of the positional changes that can cause low BP when making sudden movements. My thoughts are along the line of a Stress Treadmill, a Tilt table and an Echo.
Yes, it could be nothing, but it could be something. A Stress treadmill will constantly monitor you during exertion to see what changes are happening. A Tilt table could determine if the syncope and BP changes are really related to your positions. An Echo can measure many things such as your Ejection Fraction, your heart sizing and see if there is any valve problems such as leaking.
Swimsarhtri- It’s funny you said they needed you to raise your heartrate. I just had an ekg done and my resting heartrate was 38, they nurse thought the machine was broke so they bought in a different one. She never told me why she changed machines just that something wasn’t right. When the second machine showed 38bpm she asked if I felt ok and called the doctor in. My doctor (who is also a runner/biker) just looked at me and said ‘damn, I’m jealous.’ Then she called me out “guess you want a copy to take home and show your buddies…” Um, yes…
I passed my physical with flying colors and got State Farm’s “Super-preferred” life insurance rate, which saves me almost $10 a month for the next 30 years.