Marathoning Is Heart-Safe

Article from Med Page Today online…

ESC: Long-Distance Running Appears Safe for the Heart

By Ed Susman, Contributing Writer, MedPage Today

Published: August 30, 2010

Reviewed by Dori F. Zaleznik, MD; Associate Clinical Professor of Medicine, Harvard Medical School, Boston and

Dorothy Caputo, MA, RN, BC-ADM, CDE, Nurse Planner

STOCKHOLM -- Men and women who participate in endurance competitive marathon events appear to develop some transient heart changes, but overall these activities do not seem to have long-term harm for the vast majority of individuals.

In a series of reports presented at the European Society of Cardiology meeting, doctors found:

·       Older runners -- those over age 50 -- developed some cardiac changes following running in Berlin marathons, but the changes in diastolic and right heart function did not exceed normal ranges.

·       There are ethnic and sexual differences in changes in heart muscle that should be recognized before athletes with enlarged hearts are disqualified from competition.

·       No significant cardiac changes occurred among participants who were engaged in a week-long overland and water endurance exercise program.

·       On the other hand, ultra-endurance running -- races of 50 to 100 miles -- resulted in elevation of troponin-1 which could be related to heart muscle damage; many of these runners also developed electrocardiographic changes.

On the whole, "It is wonderful to see that older adults can participate in these endurance events without experiencing long-term heart damage," said Ileana L. Pina, MD, professor of medicine, epidemiology, and biostatistics at Case Western Reserve University, in Cleveland.

 

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