Marathoners’ hearts stressed, but not necessarily by heart attacks
Detailed imaging of runners’ hearts before and after races doesn’t find signatures of heart attacks
ORLANDO, Fla. — Even though studies have found that marathoners can experience changes in heart structure and function consistent with cardiac damage, the runners aren’t necessarily having small heart attacks, a new investigation has found.
Previous studies have revealed that during a race, marathon runners often show evidence of dangerous changes to the heart, including an enlarged right atrium (the chamber that receives oxygen-starved blood from the body) and elevated levels in the blood of enzymes that signal heart damage.