Increased heart rate and blood pressure response, and occurrence of arrhythmias in elderly swimmers.
Changes in the heart rate (HR) and blood pressure, and the occurrence of arrhythmias after swimming were examined in 52 members of swimming classes aged 40 to 76 years. After swimming 25 m twice at a usual intensity, HR increased markedly in the subjects to 87 +/- 11% of predicted maximal HR, while the rate of perceived exertion was modest. The systolic blood pressure (SBP) also increased significantly, and SBP of 200 mmHg or higher was exclusively observed in subjects 60 years or older. After entering the pool, immersing the face and swimming, 28 subjects (54%) developed various arrhythmias. Premature ventricular contraction (PVC) was provoked or aggravated by swimming in 19 subjects. The incidence of PVC provocation or aggravation increased as SBP at rest or age increased. Swimming causes marked rise in HR and SBP in elderly subjects, and frequently provokes or aggravates PVC in older subjects and/or in subjects with higher SBP at rest.
Itoh
M
M
Department of Pharmacology, Kumamoto University School of Medicine, Japan.
Araki
H
H
Hotokebuchi
N
N
Takeshita
T
T
Gotoh
K
K
Nishi
K
K
D000328:Adult; D000367:Age Factors; D000368:Aged; D001145:Arrhythmias, Cardiac / Q000209:etiology*; D001794:Blood Pressure; D005117:Cardiac Complexes, Premature / Q000209:etiology; D005260:Female; D006339:Heart Rate; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D013550:Swimming / Q000502:physiology*