Former NFL Players May Be at Higher Risk for Atrial Fibrillation

Former National Football League players were nearly six times more likely to suffer from Atrial Fibrillation (AFib) than men of the same age who did not play professional football, according to new research in Journal of the American Heart Association, Open Access Journal of the American Heart Association / American Stroke Association.

Atrial fibrillation, a type of irregular heartbeat that increases the risk of stroke, occurs when the electrical impulses that trigger each heartbeat trigger erratically, causing atrial quivering. This can lead to blood accumulation and coagulation in the atria. Clots can move to a blood vessel leading to the brain and cause a stroke.

Previous studies have linked long-term participation in endurance sports, such as marathon running, to an increased risk of atrial fibrillation. According to the authors of this study, this is the first study combining an elite sport requiring muscle strength with an increased likelihood of atrial fibrillation.

"Although the study was observational, which means that it identifies a relationship but does not prove the cause-and-effect relationship, the prolonged strength training involved in American football can increase the size of the heart chamber and the thickness of the wall, which can alter heart rates and electrical signals in the heart, "said lead author of the study, Dermot Phelan, MD, Ph.D., director of the Sports Cardiology Center at the Cleveland Clinic in Cleveland, Ohio.

The researchers compared 460 former National Football League players to 925 men in the Dallas Heart Study. Both groups were middle-aged and about half of them were African-Americans. They found:

• 5% of former NFL players had AFib, compared to 0.5% of men in the control group.
• The other predictors of atrial fibrillation development were advanced age, white race, and higher weight, all of which have been previously recognized as risk factors for atrial fibrillation.
• Overall, the group had lower risk factors for cardiovascular disease mortality, type 2 diabetes and hypertension, as well as resting heart rates that were lower than the control group, but the incidence of atrial fibrillation was still higher.
• Former NFL athletes were 8 times more likely to have a pacemaker than the control group. Pacemakers are devices implanted in the chest of a person, usually intended to treat slow heart rhythms and other electrical conduction problems in the heart.

"Most of the former NFL athletes with AFib had no symptoms and should have taken anticoagulants to prevent stroke, highlighting the importance of AFL's vigilance and intermittent research in this group," he said. Phelan. "For the majority of people, the benefits of aerobics exercises, such as walking and strength training, like working with weights, are closely linked to a healthier heart, and this study does should not discourage people from doing physical activity.Light to moderate exercise reduces the risk of atrial fibrillation for most people. "