Athletic Heart Syndrome - Signs and Symptoms

Signs and Symptoms

Athlete's heart most often does not have any physical symptoms, although an indicator would be a consistently low resting heart rate. Athletes with AHS often do not realize they have the condition unless they undergo specific medical tests. This is because athlete's heart is a normal, physiological adaptation of the body to the stresses of physical conditioning and aerobic exercise. People diagnosed with athlete’s heart commonly display three signs that would usually indicate a heart condition if they were seen in a non-athlete: bradycardia, cardiomegaly, and cardiac hypertrophy. Bradycardia is a slower than normal heartbeat around 40-60 beats per minute. Cardiomegaly is the state of an enlarged heart. Cardiac hypertrophy is the thickening of the muscular wall of the heart, specifically the left ventricle, which pumps oxygenated blood to the aorta. In highly-trained athletes' bodies, more blood and oxygen is required to the peripheral tissues of the arms and legs. A larger heart results in higher cardiac output, as more blood is pumped out with each beat. The raised cardiac output allows the heart to beat more slowly (hence the bradycardia).

Another sign of athlete's heart syndrome is an S3 gallop, which can be heard through a stethoscope. This sound can be heard as an irregularly shaped heart is filling with blood. The diastolic pressure creates a disordered flow of blood into the heart. However, if an S4 gallop is heard, the patient should be given immediate attention. An S4 gallop is a stronger and louder sound created by the heart if it is diseased in some way. It is typically a sign that there is a serious heart condition present in the athlete.