Why did Manchester United Manager Sir Alex Ferguson have a pacemaker fitted?

Main Category: Public Health
Article Date: 13 Mar 2004 - 0:00 PDT


Last year, it was found that Sir Alex Ferguson was suffering from a minor heart condition. Last week he was fitted with a pacemaker.

Sir Alex Ferguson had supraventricular tachycardia (SVT).This when the upper parts of the heart, the atria, experience rapid electrical activity, this creates a disturbance of heart rhythm.

Basically, what happens when you have this condition is that your heartbeat shoots up from around 70 beats per minute to over 150, or even over 200 sometimes.

If you experience this you may feel palpitations, fluttering of the heart, you could also feel dizzy and faint.

Even though the experience is uncomfortable and alarming it is not harmful.

Sir Alex Ferguson has one of the most stressful jobs there are. Some people would say that his condition is due to the stress of being the manager of the richest football (soccer in USA) club in the world. Drinking too much caffeine can bring it on, as can the debilitating effects of a bad cold or flu.

The main cause, however, is probably genetic - an abnormality of the electrical activity of the heart, say experts.

The sufferer could have it for years and not know about it while it lies dormant.

It is possible to have many attacks of SVT. Most typically, however, people experience only one attack during their lifetime. It is quite a common condition.

I watch Sir Alex Ferguson at least twice a week on TV when Manchester United is playing. You can see the guy is under a great deal of stress. He chews gum non stop, his nose and cheeks get redder and redder as the match goes on. He paces up and down, waves his arms, shouts at the players and the ref.

He has been nicknamed by football players the 'hairdrier'. When he is angry with a player in the changing room at half time or after a match he gets up close and screams at them - the air that blows from his mouth onto the victim's face feels as if it comes from a hairdrier.

A couple of years ago Liverpool Football Club's manager, Gerard Houlier had a heart attack and had to take nearly a whole year off. Many football managers in the UK seem to be suffering from different conditions - all of them are under a great deal of stress.

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