What I Learned in Men's Health

Warning--do not read this post should you be one of those types who suffers from Internet Induced Hypochondria.

I often read Men's Health magazine, it's not the best read in the world but one can generally get some no-nonsense information on diet, exercise and health. There was a very good article in the September 2007 issue on a heart condition that often afflicts fit men. There is probably a lot of recycling of these stories in various magazines, but I found this one informative.

The article, entitled, "The Fit Man's Heart Threat" takes a look at a condition called Hypertrophic Cardiomyopathy. The author of the article is distraught that his friend, 43-year-old Bill died suddenly while running a marathon. He finds out his friend had cardiomyopathy and talks to the president of a foundation for this disease:

"Anything more than 1.5 centimeters is definitive," says Salberg. She explains that HCM is characterized by the thickening of heart muscle. As the muscle wall separating the right and left ventricles bulges, it obstructs the flow of oxygenated blood leaving the heart through the aorta, making it more difficult for the heart to function, particularly during exercise. It's caused by a genetic flaw that can be passed down from either parent. So far, researchers have pinpointed 14 genes associated with the condition. Those who carry any one of these genes generally develop HCM during adolescence or early adulthood.

Then she drops a whopper: One in 500 people has HCM. It's more prevalent in the United States than is HIV and Parkinson's.

And then another whopper: You know you have HCM if you die unexpectedly. That's often the first symptom. About 15 people in this country drop dead from the condition each day. It's the most common heart-related killer of men younger than 30.

One of the scary things about this disease is that exercise can bring it on:

.... In April, the American Heart Association released a scientific statement noting that although regular physical exercise is now widely advocated by the medical community, studies show it can increase your risk of early death. A study published in the Journal of the American Medical Association found that joggers in Rhode Island were 7.6 times more likely to die early than people who didn't run. In another study, published in the New England Journal of Medicine, researchers reported that the incidence of cardiac arrest during exercise was 25 times higher than during light activity or while resting. The AHA statement concluded that exercise "acutely" increases the risk of sudden death in "susceptible persons." For these people, "the health risks of vigorous physical activity almost certainly exceed the benefits."

Are you a susceptible person? I was, although my heart condition was a bit different. The only way to find out if you are at risk is to ask your doctor if you need tests such as an ECG or EKG and if abnormalities are found, to follow up with an echocardiogram (an ultrasound of the heart) or whatever tests the doc recommends.

If you have gotten this far in the post, don't get paranoid but do take care of your heart health; it's important.