"Highlander" syndrome: the disease of the over 40s nostalgic for youth

Curated by Luigi Ferritto (1)

It is called the Highlander syndrome, or the immortality one, taking up the title of the famous film of the 80s that praised the deeds of an immortal. Suffering from it are several over 40s that retain a marked tendency to compete, self-esteem and a feeling of well-being. It is easier to hit athletes who continue the activity after youth competition, or who - having stopped sporting practice - take it up again in old age, or sedentary people who pretend to become athletes of mature or advanced age.

In individuals affected by this syndrome, both the belief that exercise can preserve from any pathological state and the tendency to minimize previous or current symptoms and risk factors are created. In practice it is the excess of esteem of one's physical and mental abilities that leads to this syndrome: often, in fact, the subjects, whether they are sedentary or ex-professional or semi-professional athletes, return to sporting activity after a long period of inactivity or occasional physical activity, driven by a strong desire to return to a better physical performance or to match the sports performances expressed at an early age.

The body of an over 40 cannot be compared to that of a twenty or thirty year old: however fit the first one can never compete with the second. The advice of the scientists, aimed at the highlanders, is therefore to let go of the "contact" sports such as football and soccer, and prefer individual disciplines such as swimming, running and cycling. In any case, to avoid categorically are sudden jerks. Similar efforts, in fact, are almost always carried out under anaerobic conditions, ie without oxygen consumption, and can cause sudden increases in pressure and the number of heartbeats, endangering the health of the heart and blood vessels. It should also be kept in mind that it is always better to start a sport gradually and never suddenly. In the same way it is essential to keep in mind that after a certain age muscles, tendons and joints need a longer recovery time.

Too often athletes are wrongly convinced that exercise can be protected from any disease, and have a tendency to minimize symptoms and risk factors of any kind.

Too much, as in all things, it breaks down, and even if the "fury" forced on the youth sometimes turns out to be an irresistible temptation, believing that the physical effort gives an extra opportunity, we must first be aware of our own limits.

For correspondence: Dott. Luigi Ferritto

Department of Internal Medicine

Respiratory Physiopathology Unit "Athena" clinic Villa dei Pini

Piedimonte Matese (CE)

e-mail: