Well I have ended up in hospitals occasionally, and they remark on my low resting pulse, and blood pressure.  But I have had a heart flutter too

 

It bears telling the tale.  I was riding one day and realised thet it took some effort to keep up with another cyclist who was not riding particularly fast, and on arrival at my destination I was a gasping wreck.  The condition persisted for that day, and into the next.  Any exertion left me feeling totally whacked.

 

I called my GP and from the symptoms described he suggested going directly to A&E.  They took some measurements and I asked if I would get something to take when I went home (expecting to walk out).  Instead I was told bluntly that my pulse was blundering about at a ridiculous rate, and my BP had plummeted to below 100.  I suspect that had I not been a regular cyclist I would have been on the deck at least 24 hours earlier. A quick restart with the jump leads sorted things out and the cause - suspected to be a viral infection that kicked the heart into an unstable rythym.

 

A similar report comes from a CTC veteran who believes he is oldest person to survive treatment for septecemia, which can involve forcing up a body's metabolic rate to fight the infection.  Most older patients die because their cardiovascular systems cannot withstand the hammering this treatment brings on.

 

Maybe it is an effect of a fitter person fending off minor ailments and then only a massive event stops them in their tracks usually so massive that a recovery is unlikely and hence the Mail's unfortunate misreading of the information presented.

 

Dave H     

 

http://www.dailymail.co.uk/health/article-1360091/Heart-attacks-Cycling-work-biggest-causes.html