heart and blood vessel disorders
Athlete's Heart
Introduction
Athlete's heart refers to the normal changes that the heart undergoes in people who regularly do strenuous aerobic exercise (for example, higher intensity running or bicycling) and also in those who do higher intensity weight training exercise (weight lifting). In a person with athlete's heart The heart is larger. The heart walls are thicker. The heart chambers are somewhat larger. This increase in size and thickening of walls allows the heart to pump substantially more blood per heartbeat. The larger volume of blood with each heartbeat allows the heart to beat more slowly, which results in a slower, stronger pulse (which can be felt at the wrist and elsewhere on the body) and sometimes in a heart murmur. Heart murmurs are specific sounds created as blood flows through the valves of the heart. Although heart murmurs can also be a sign of a Overview of Heart Valve Disorders , some murmurs are perfectly normal in an athlete's heart and are not dangerous. The heartbeat of a person with athlete's heart may be irregular at rest but becomes regular when exercise begins. Blood pressure is virtually the same as in any other healthy person. Heart changes in women are typically less than those in men of the same age, body size, and level of training. The heart changes that take place in an athlete's heart resemble those that can occur in certain heart disorders. For example, the heart can enlarge in Overview of Cardiomyopathy and The heart and its valves function normally. The person does not have an increased risk of a heart attack or other heart disorder. The person has no symptoms. Doctors usually suspect athlete's heart during routine screening or when the person is being evaluated for unrelated symptoms. 