Yet Another Cycling Forum

General Category => Audax => Topic started by: hellymedic on 10 April, 2024, 03:52:11 pm

Title: Atrial Fibrillation
Post by: hellymedic on 10 April, 2024, 03:52:11 pm
Leicester University is studying AF in Veteran and Endurance athletes.
Quite a few members of this parish seem to be so afflicted and might be interested.
https://le.ac.uk/cardiovascular-sciences/research/afletes-mri?fbclid=IwAR3W2VTGvTCqqL3VVcTGZPhk2s1Oz0p0VYvxlUkUZ0DpHh6ga82ETbTCcIE_aem_AXP951Rh7iHQ9jmRGFtKzGSumZZ-AAAz-GdJusLeyt-FHehPAVWrCiDxuaDBG07DCzpxRVn8xdodZAwa7z2P1_fz (https://le.ac.uk/cardiovascular-sciences/research/afletes-mri?fbclid=IwAR3W2VTGvTCqqL3VVcTGZPhk2s1Oz0p0VYvxlUkUZ0DpHh6ga82ETbTCcIE_aem_AXP951Rh7iHQ9jmRGFtKzGSumZZ-AAAz-GdJusLeyt-FHehPAVWrCiDxuaDBG07DCzpxRVn8xdodZAwa7z2P1_fz)
Title: Re: Atrial Fibrillation
Post by: Hot Flatus on 10 April, 2024, 07:14:45 pm
Thankyou.

Well that is me except for the word 'athlete'. Does an audax count as an "organised event at regional or higher level"? I'm not sure, even though...as you know...I won quite a few.
Title: Re: Atrial Fibrillation
Post by: Hot Flatus on 10 April, 2024, 07:19:16 pm
I've emailed them to offer myself as a volunteer.

I was modest about my many victories.
Title: Re: Atrial Fibrillation
Post by: αdαmsκι on 10 April, 2024, 09:03:43 pm
even though...as you know...I won quite a few.

You never said. Tell me more.
Title: Re: Atrial Fibrillation
Post by: rogerzilla on 10 April, 2024, 09:09:38 pm
My sister, a senior arrythmia nurse, was sure I had it.  After several ECGs and other tests, I don't.  Just ectopic beats caused by stress.  I have felt quite ill for the last 8 months.  Not since last Friday though, when I finished work.
Title: Re: Atrial Fibrillation
Post by: hellymedic on 10 April, 2024, 09:21:26 pm
Is that Maddy’s Daddy?
Title: Re: Atrial Fibrillation
Post by: Hot Flatus on 10 April, 2024, 09:53:43 pm
even though...as you know...I won quite a few.

You never said. Tell me more.

What is the word for attempting to parody a parody?

A parodody?
Title: Re: Atrial Fibrillation
Post by: Hot Flatus on 10 April, 2024, 09:58:00 pm
My sister, a senior arrythmia nurse, was sure I had it.  After several ECGs and other tests, I don't.  Just ectopic beats caused by stress.  I have felt quite ill for the last 8 months.  Not since last Friday though, when I finished work.

My experience of it left me in no doubt I had it. Although, it was preceded by ridiculous bouts of ectopic beats.

Weirdly, with the exception of last Saturday I havent had any ectopic beats (or at least prolonged bouts) for nearly six weeks, which is quite odd given what I experienced for 4 months.
Title: Re: Atrial Fibrillation
Post by: T42 on 11 April, 2024, 08:45:12 am
I'm wondering how long the people on here who have it have been audaxing.  I was a relatively late starter - first 200 when I was 56 - and although various doctors & cardiologists have been telling me for years that it's just around the corner it hasn't happened yet.  Last read-out from my holter implant showed zero events.

I knocked off Audax after PBP 2015, making my career just 12 years long.  I've done a few informal 200s since, but nothing longer.

How about others?
Title: Re: Atrial Fibrillation
Post by: Hot Flatus on 11 April, 2024, 08:50:55 am
I'm wondering how long the people on here who have it have been audaxing.

18 years man and boy
Title: Re: Atrial Fibrillation
Post by: Wowbagger on 11 April, 2024, 08:55:32 am
It only took me half a dozen audaxes to realise that it's a great way to spoil an otherwise decent bike ride, but still I was diagnosed with atrial fibrillation about 4 years ago. Beta blockers and blood thinners constitute part of my breakfast every day. There were quite a few years between 2006 and 2014 in which I notched up well over 6,000 miles so that might well do it.
Title: Re: Atrial Fibrillation
Post by: fimm on 11 April, 2024, 09:46:31 am
Yes, "an organised event at regional level or above" is confusing. I might point mr fimm at it; he's never done an Audax but has done 4 Ironman triathlons, and into double figures of ultramarathons. I think that the point is the amount of time you spend exercising, even if you are not calling it training but just going for a bike ride.
Title: Re: Atrial Fibrillation
Post by: Lightning Phil on 11 April, 2024, 10:06:09 am
athLETES - Did their caps lock get stuck?

Then Afletes in the email address, did spell checker go rogue?

Note they are also looking for

2. I am an athlete and I do not have atrial fibrillation.
Title: Re: Atrial Fibrillation
Post by: Hot Flatus on 11 April, 2024, 10:06:52 am
Well 20 years of 30 miles a day commuting plus audaxing has probably done it.

The rest of the usual risk factors (obesity, age etc) don't apply to me (yet)
Title: Re: Atrial Fibrillation
Post by: Peter on 11 April, 2024, 11:20:44 am
athLETES - Did their caps lock get stuck?

Then Afletes in the email address, did spell checker go rogue?

Note they are also looking for

2. I am an athlete and I do not have atrial fibrillation.

It's a joke, Phil:  AFlete = athlete with Atrial Fibrillation, commonly referred to as AF.  Don't forget, this whole thing looks impressive but I'm betting there will be a significant student involvement, therefore self-referential in-jokes are to be expected!

Student involvement possibly explains why they are not interested in people with the condition who are old, even if they appear (like myself) to be text-book cases.

I didn't have ATH until a few years ago (I definitely didn't have it in my early 70s and tests prove that).  All my life I have been sporty but never trained excessively by modern obsessive standards.  But I did have a habit of doing fairly extreme things (like the occasional 40 mile moor crossing or the Three Peaks) without much training at all and the same is probably true of my short Audax "career" which was only about 10 years, starting in my mid-sixties.  I think I am probably a text-book case of somebody stupid and my input might be useful in such a study - but I have been SPURNED!!!!

Title: Re: Atrial Fibrillation
Post by: Kim on 11 April, 2024, 11:27:19 am
Well that is me except for the word 'athlete'. Does an audax count as an "organised event at regional or higher level"? I'm not sure, even though...as you know...I won quite a few.

I got called an athlete by a physioterrorist once.  Of course, that was before I was a BRITISH champion...  ;D
Title: Re: Atrial Fibrillation
Post by: Peter on 11 April, 2024, 11:35:59 am
Well that is me except for the word 'athlete'. Does an audax count as an "organised event at regional or higher level"? I'm not sure, even though...as you know...I won quite a few.

I got called an athlete by a physioterrorist once.  Of course, that was before I was a BRITISH champion...  ;D

 ;D ;D ;D
Title: Re: Atrial Fibrillation
Post by: zigzag on 11 April, 2024, 11:46:11 am
i was at the health check/mot few years ago and the ecg showed a couple of irregular beats. cardiologist asked few questions if i notice or feel any effects, i said not at all. he said many people have mild arrhythmia, and it only requires attention if irregular beats exceed a certain amount per day (10,000 in 24hrs, iirc). perhaps a more in-depth assessment would be interesting, but i only want to hear positive results, haha!
Title: Re: Atrial Fibrillation
Post by: Ian H on 11 April, 2024, 12:05:08 pm
It appears that I am too old to be a veteran athlete. 
Title: Re: Atrial Fibrillation
Post by: Peter on 11 April, 2024, 12:11:31 pm
You certainly are, Ian - and are likely to remain so!  You might want to ask yourself (I know I have!) whether, if you had known you would in the future be discriminated against in this way, you would even have started riding a bike at all.

Yours. etc.

Brigadier Ffont-Tonbridge Wells (and bar).
Title: Re: Atrial Fibrillation
Post by: robgul on 11 April, 2024, 12:11:54 pm
It appears that I am too old to be a veteran athlete.

Me too - phew!
Title: Re: Atrial Fibrillation
Post by: arabella on 11 April, 2024, 12:42:19 pm
Moved over from the health and fitness thread where I originally posted

Quote from: hellymedic
Leicester University is doing a study into Atrial Fibrillation in endurance athletes.
https://le.ac.uk/cardiovascular-sciences/research/afletes-mri?fbclid=IwAR3W2VTGvTCqqL3VVcTGZPhk2s1Oz0p0VYvxlUkUZ0DpHh6ga82ETbTCcIE_aem_AXP951Rh7iHQ9jmRGFtKzGSumZZ-AAAz-GdJusLeyt-FHehPAVWrCiDxuaDBG07DCzpxRVn8xdodZAwa7z2P1_fz
As ever, they are only interested in men   :facepalm:  >:( >:( >:(
Quote
This study will use MRI (a type of scan) to look at the hearts and brains of older male “veteran” athletes with and without atrial fibrillation as well as non-athletic controls.
I am getting rather fed up of living in a world with a drip-drip-drip that says I'm not relevant.
Title: Re: Atrial Fibrillation
Post by: Flite on 11 April, 2024, 12:43:43 pm
That's me excluded on sexist and ageist resons
Title: Re: Atrial Fibrillation
Post by: Lightning Phil on 11 April, 2024, 12:57:39 pm
That's me excluded on sexist and ageist resons

Off topic, but is your avatar one of the cairns on nine standards rigg?
Title: Re: Atrial Fibrillation
Post by: Lightning Phil on 11 April, 2024, 01:04:11 pm
athLETES - Did their caps lock get stuck?

Then Afletes in the email address, did spell checker go rogue?

Note they are also looking for

2. I am an athlete and I do not have atrial fibrillation.

It's a joke, Phil:  AFlete = athlete with Atrial Fibrillation, commonly referred to as AF.  Don't forget, this whole thing looks impressive but I'm betting there will be a significant student involvement, therefore self-referential in-jokes are to be expected!

This where I groan …
Title: Re: Atrial Fibrillation
Post by: Pedal Castro on 11 April, 2024, 01:33:17 pm
Quote

As ever, they are only interested in men   :facepalm:  >:( >:( >:(
Quote
This study will use MRI (a type of scan) to look at the hearts and brains of older male “veteran” athletes with and without atrial fibrillation as well as non-athletic controls.
I am getting rather fed up of living in a world with a drip-drip-drip that says I'm not relevant.

I asked about this when I was involved in my last heart research project. The answer was it would have to be a separate project but not enough women (it requires a certain amount to be valid) come forward to secure the funding.
Title: Re: Atrial Fibrillation
Post by: Hot Flatus on 11 April, 2024, 01:55:38 pm
Well, looks like I'm in.
Title: Re: Atrial Fibrillation
Post by: Flâneur on 11 April, 2024, 04:37:29 pm
A well-kent name as chief investigator.
Title: Re: Atrial Fibrillation
Post by: barakta on 11 April, 2024, 04:58:24 pm
I get recruiting women is hard but then it ends up with 80-90 if not 100% of research done on men which misses out ways women's health/experiences differ.
Title: Re: Atrial Fibrillation
Post by: Hot Flatus on 12 April, 2024, 06:29:29 am
It appears that I am too old to be a veteran athlete.

Ah, but you are an International athlete I believe
Title: Re: Atrial Fibrillation
Post by: Hot Flatus on 12 April, 2024, 06:30:49 am
Well that is me except for the word 'athlete'. Does an audax count as an "organised event at regional or higher level"? I'm not sure, even though...as you know...I won quite a few.

I got called an athlete by a physioterrorist once.  Of course, that was before I was a BRITISH champion...  ;D

So good, in fact, that you were able to do it all lying down.  ;)
Title: Re: Atrial Fibrillation
Post by: Von Broad on 12 April, 2024, 07:41:26 am
It appears that I am too old to be a veteran athlete. 

Same here

Athlete? Goodness me. By the standards of Chris Hoy, I am most definitely not an athlete, but the standards of people I used to drink with, I am super-duper athletic! But yet to win an audax. Although a perm would surely count.

I noted this too...

"We also need healthy individuals, who do not have a history of atrial fibrillation nor a stroke and do not meet the criteria for being an athlete."

Love the word 'healthy' and it's definition......does that mean 12 units a week sitting on the sofa clicking many buttons day and night, or does it mean 60 units a week but also riding 50 miles at the weekend? Semantics....gotta love it.

This all got me going down yet another rabbit hole.....I must stop reading The Internet. Kind of interesting though.

https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC4311486/

What do we take away from all this? Not sure really - maybe just live your life as you see fit.
Title: Re: Atrial Fibrillation
Post by: arabella on 12 April, 2024, 07:46:24 am
Quote

As ever, they are only interested in men   :facepalm:  >:( >:( >:(
Quote
This study will use MRI (a type of scan) to look at the hearts and brains of older male “veteran” athletes with and without atrial fibrillation as well as non-athletic controls.
I am getting rather fed up of living in a world with a drip-drip-drip that says I'm not relevant.

I asked about this when I was involved in my last heart research project. The answer was it would have to be a separate project but not enough women (it requires a certain amount to be valid) come forward to secure the funding.

That's surprising given the population is about half and half. Which suggests one or more of:
- the terms of the study are more applicable to men than to women
- the wording of the recruitment poster was more likely to attract men (there's a slew of stuff about how to word job ads)
- targeting of recruitment was in more male environments.
Deliberate or thoughtless, I let you decide.


I put to you the carer wrangling their ?dependent up and down stairs etc vs someone slouching in goal and a poster calling for "athletes".
Or me 20 years ago taking little dears around on the back of the tandem +trailer.
And our own questions as to whether audax is as athletics.
Title: Re: Atrial Fibrillation
Post by: Hot Flatus on 12 April, 2024, 04:16:34 pm
Well I'm on the research study. Hour long MRI of heart and brain with dye, echo etc.
Title: Re: Atrial Fibrillation
Post by: Peter on 12 April, 2024, 04:29:52 pm
Keep us informed.  I'd be ruled out of that even if I fitted the age range.  I just can't do total MRIs without sedation.
Title: Re: Atrial Fibrillation
Post by: Hot Flatus on 12 April, 2024, 06:42:16 pm
It looks as if the study is a development of this:

https://leicesterbrc.nihr.ac.uk/atrial-fibrillation-and-stroke-in-endurance-athletes-explored-in-new-study/

...which, as it turns out I had already read a few months ago. I hadn't watched the youtube vid before and it's definitely worth watching.

I will be going through a similar process but more in depth, including an assessment by the professor in the video. And before you ask, yes...it is.
Title: Re: Atrial Fibrillation
Post by: Peter on 12 April, 2024, 07:49:53 pm
Yes, I thought a lot of work had already been done and ... yes.
Title: Re: Atrial Fibrillation
Post by: hellymedic on 12 April, 2024, 10:20:49 pm
I asked upthread, did I not?
There does seem to be a lot of AF in yacf denizens...
Title: Re: Atrial Fibrillation
Post by: Hot Flatus on 12 April, 2024, 10:30:30 pm
I asked upthread, did I not?
...

You did, but I didn't notice and wasn't aware of his involvement until I watched the GCN vid.

Title: Re: Atrial Fibrillation
Post by: JonBuoy on 13 April, 2024, 03:06:28 pm
Susil (the Principal Investigator) was at the start of the club run this morning.  He is young, thin, fit, has a snazzy bike etc so wasn't planning to ride with my group but I had a brief chat with him about the maleness of the study.  He basically repeated what Pedal Castro said for the current phase.  However he hopes to include a female group in the next phase so if you are interested I suggest you get in contact with him.  If you just want to moan about stuff then carry on...
Title: Re: Atrial Fibrillation
Post by: arabella on 13 April, 2024, 10:05:49 pm
However he hopes to include a female group in the next phase so if you are interested I suggest you get in contact with him.
  I may have missed something but there's absolutely nothing in the link in the OP which suggests this is an option. But according to you can I email the (study mailbox) along the lines of "someone on my cycling forum who calls her/himself JonBuoy says...".
 I have tried something along these lines on a previous (male only) study. Guess what? The study stayed male only.
Quote
If you just want to moan about stuff then carry on...
And what exactly is it you think I am moaning about? 
Title: Re: Atrial Fibrillation
Post by: Hot Flatus on 14 April, 2024, 07:10:00 am
Perhaps you can't take this to PM
Title: Re: Atrial Fibrillation
Post by: JonBuoy on 14 April, 2024, 07:06:39 pm
However he hopes to include a female group in the next phase so if you are interested I suggest you get in contact with him.
  I may have missed something but there's absolutely nothing in the link in the OP which suggests this is an option. But according to you can I email the (study mailbox) along the lines of "someone on my cycling forum who calls her/himself JonBuoy says...".
 I have tried something along these lines on a previous (male only) study. Guess what? The study stayed male only.
Quote
If you just want to moan about stuff then carry on...
And what exactly is it you think I am moaning about?


You seem to be moaning about 'living in a world with a drip-drip-drip that says I'm not relevant.'  That seems to me to be something that is worth moaning about.

With respect to this AF study - I took the opportunity to introduce myself to the Principal Investigator, ask him about the study and report back here and there appears to be some hope to improve the situation.  If you email him by all means mention the old, fat, unfit bloke with the unsnazzy bike who spoke to him on Saturday morning before the club ride so that I get my commission but I don't think that 'Jonbuoy' will mean anything to him.  He did say that he has kept contact details for a significant number of women who have asked similar questions with the intention of enrolling them in the next phase of the study.

Please let us know how you get on.
Title: Re: Atrial Fibrillation
Post by: Hot Flatus on 14 April, 2024, 07:35:02 pm
I had a look at some of the other research projects Susil has been involved in.

Here is one that some might be interested in... ;)
https://www.researchgate.net/publication/351154290_The_Underrepresentation_of_Females_in_Studies_Assessing_the_Impact_of_High-Dose_Exercise_on_Cardiovascular_Outcomes_a_Scoping_Review
Title: Re: Atrial Fibrillation
Post by: arabella on 15 April, 2024, 07:35:18 am
thanks, both
it will be nice to contribute to filling the massive data gap on women's health.  :)
Title: Re: Atrial Fibrillation
Post by: T42 on 15 April, 2024, 11:48:12 am
I looked up the distribution of Afib by sex: apparently it's more prevalent in women than men.  But, the article went on to say, that's because the men die earlier.