Heart Muscle Damage

[tonypet]

Hello,
My question concerns my 16 year old grandson. He is an avid rugby player (similar to American Football) and is very good at it. He recently (June/July) played in an Interprovincial Tournament. During this time, he had the flu, but very unwisely continued playing. Upon his return, he wasn't feeling well and was taken to the doctor. He was diagnosed as having bronchitis, and treated. At this time, he was found to have a very high heart rate ( 90 +).The bronchitis appears to have cleared, but his heat rate remains high at 83. Bloodwork was done but nothing found. Any energetic effort he makes, like running a short distance, causes shortness of breath, nausea and an increase in heart rate. The medical advice given to his parents is that his heart was 'over-strained' by hs playing rugby while he had the flu, and that he should not take part in anything similar for 6 months because his heart muscles 'need to repair themselves'. This sounds a bit far fetched to me. Could the problem be more serious than this?

[tonypet]

sorry, benefits!!

[tonypet]

Thanks a ton! He will be seeing a specialist on Tuesday next week. He's a stubborn fella, but the apple of my eye. His HR prior to this ailment was steady at 64 - he has always been extremely fit! I was also concerned about the possibility of 'streroids'. Even high school coaches here have been known to administer these in order to get these boys bigger, stronger and more aggressive on the field of play to boost their (the coaches') egos and 'bebefits'since commercialisation at school level began a couple of years back. Specific blood-work so far has shown nothing of this sort though thank goodness. Once again, thanks to all.

[NTB]

>  'Could the problem be more serious than this? "

tony, search for this article:
"Tachycardia in an athlete with a cold may portend myocarditis"

90 is not especially high, especially since teens can have a higher HR than adults. But I assume you mean his HR is much higher than it was before the virus.

[rockcityaudiouk]

Normal heart rates start from 60-100 BPM(Athletes sometimes have have lower heart rates)
However these tend to be professional athletes.The heart rates that you have mentioned are still within normal range.(83,90 etc)  Bronchitis,is an inflammation of the airways to the lungs,it can be either acute or chronic. While acute bronchitis normally follows a respiratory infection caused by a virus that affects the throat and sinuses before spreading to the lungs, chronic bronchitis often recurs so that could be the cause of his shortness of breath.
Bronchitis is often mis- diagnosed as is pneumonia.One reason that acute bronchitis is such a common diagnosis in primary care practice is that physicians often lump various conditions together under the diagnosis of bronchitis. In the absence of clear diagnostic signs or laboratory tests, the diagnosis of acute bronchitis is purely clinical. Consequently, cough from upper respiratory tract infections, sinusitis or allergic syndromes (e.g., mild asthma or viral pneumonia) may be diagnosed as acute bronchitis.
to be cautious please arrange to see a cardiologist and this is totally worthwhile and will involve a few short tests.
good luck.
Jon.

[mammo]

I would seek a second opinion on this.  Kids this age are very resilient and bounce back quickly from things like this.  For his heart to be stressed this badly, and to not have bounced back quicker, from playing with the flu, I don't feel is normal for a 16 year old.  My son who is an avid speed hiker, hiked 28 miles in several hours with bronchitis.  He had to cut his hike short to recover from the bronchitis, but suffered no other problems as a result, and my son doesn't have a colon, which makes it even harder on him.  Like you, I'm not buying it.