Bradycardia among endurance athletes: what is the risk of pacemaker implantation?

Bradycardia among endurance athletes: what is the risk of pacemaker implantation?

Resting bradycardia (low heart rate) is well known to be associated with exercise training, especially in endurance sports. It is supposed to be part of adaptive mechanisms that occur in the heart in order to be able to cope the burden of excessive exercise.

In a recent study, which included Swedish long-distance skiers this notion is questioned. It is proclaimed that a relatively increased risk of clinically significant bradycardia (sick sinus syndrome) along with the need for pacemaker implantation was found among athletes, particularly in the best-performing males.

Of course, the study once again demonstrates the overall benefits acquired from exercise, since the athletes still exhibited a lower overall mortality risk, and pacemaker implantation did not adversely affect their survival.

Reference:
Circulation
Long-Term Incidence of Bradycardia and Pacemaker Implantations Among Cross-Country Skiers: A
Cohort Study
Circulation 2024 Aug 05;[EPub Ahead of Print], N Svedberg, J Sundström, S James, U Hållmarker, K
Hambraeus, K Andersen