[Athletic training, adaptation and cortical electric activity; comparative studies in young athletes during training and in trained athletes in athletic form].
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Isokinetic dynamometry of knee flexors and extensors: comparative study among non-athletes, jumper athletes and runner athletes.
UNLABELLED: Participation in intensive sports activities leads to muscular specializations that may generate alterations in involved articular forces and cause static (posture) and dynamic changes (alterations of articular stability, coordination, etc.). Prevention of injury requires specific functional muscular evaluation in all athletes and for any kind of sport. OBJECTIVE: To dynamically evaluate, through isokinetic tests, the peak torque, total work, and average power of the knee flexor and extensor muscles of jumper and runner athletes and compare them to those of a non-athletic population, evaluating dominance and balance between agonistic and antagonistic muscle groups. RESULTS: In the non-athlete group, we noted a higher asymmetry between the dominant and nondominant members. The jumpers had the highest values of the evaluated parameters of all groups, whereas parameters for the runners were intermediate between non-athletes and jumpers.
Adolescent↗
Echocardiographic findings in endurance athletes with hypertrophic non-obstructive cardiomyopathy (HNCM) compared to non-athletes with HNCM and to physiological hypertrophy (athlete's heart).
Hypertrophic non-obstructive cardiomyopathy (HNCM) is one of the most frequent causes of sudden cardiac death in young athletes. Since the clinical findings in HNCM patients may be inconspicuous and the ECG changes found in endurance athletes may be similar to those of HNCM patients, echocardiography, as a non-invasive procedure, seems to take on an important role in differential diagnostics. To prove this hypothesis, conventional echocardiographic parameters were compared in three groups with confirmed diagnosis: Group I: HNCM (n = 9) without sports activity; Group II: HNCM (n = 9) with regular, intensive endurance training (3-5 hours/week). The diagnosis was invasively confirmed in both groups. Group III: healthy subjects (n = 9) with physiological hypertrophy and regular endurance training (3-6 hours/week). In the presence of HNCM, endurance sports activity appears to offset the reduction in the left ventricle and enlargement of the left atrium. The wall thickness of the septum and posterior wall do not differ in the two HNCM groups, but show a significant difference to the healthy athletes. The enddiastolic diameter, the absolute septum and posterior wall thickness and the ratio of septum+posterior wall/enddiastolic diameter can be taken as the most important differential diagnostic criterium in physiological hypertrophy, but not the ratio between septum/posterior wall. It is concluded that conventional echocardiographic examination can be considered a valuable non-invasive method for differentiating HNCM from athlete's heart, even in patients with HNCM who participate in endurance sports. However, a reliable diagnosis may not be possible in individual cases.
Adolescent↗
Over-the-counter drug use amongst athletes and non-athletes.
AIM: Many over-the-counter (OTC) drugs used in the symptomatic relief of upper respiratory tract (URT) conditions are banned by sports governing bodies. It would appear therefore that athletes are being penalised for practising conventional pharmacological methods in the management of common ailments. The aim was to identify any differences between athletes and non-athletes and amongst athletic groups, with respect to the prevalence of URT conditions and the use of OTC drugs to treat such conditions. METHODS: Questionnaires were distributed at domestic and international athletics meetings and at university lectures and tutorials. Respondents (n=401) represented both track and field athletes (n=199) and non-athletes (n=202). RESULTS: No differences were found between athletes and non-athletes and between elite and non-elite athletes in terms of the frequency of episodes of URT conditions reported in the previous year. A higher proportion of elite, as opposed to non-elite athletes did not take OTC medicines (p=0.028) and of those that did take OTC medicines a higher proportion of elite athletes (68%) as opposed to non-elite (32%) took those not containing sympathomimetics, banned by the International Olympic Committee (IOC). Athletes were found to have greater knowledge of IOC banned OTC drugs (p=0.002) and within this group, elite athletes were most knowledgeable (p=0.0003). Although most respondents (81%) believed that OTC drugs should not be prohibited in sport, athletes made up the greatest proportion in support of prohibition (23.5% as opposed to 14.4% of non-athletes) with elite as opposed to non-elite most in favour (p=0.0181). CONCLUSION: These results suggest that URT conditions are no more prevalent between athletes and non-athletes or between endurance and power athletes. Athletes competing at the highest level tended to avoid OTC medicines or those containing IOC banned drugs and were most knowledgeable in terms of banned OTC drugs and most in favour of their prohibition suggesting that the control mechanisms in place are only reaching elite athletes.
Adult↗
Athlete's heart in women. Echocardiographic characterization of highly trained elite female athletes.
UNLABELLED: OBJECTIVES; To define the expression of "athlete's heart" in women by determining the alterations in cardiac dimensions associated with long-term intense conditioning in elite female athletes. DESIGN; Prospective cardiovascular assessment conducted from 1986 through 1993. Subjects were evaluated using 2-dimensional, M-mode, and Doppler echo-cardiographic studies. SETTING: Institute of Sports Science, Italian National Olympic Committee, Rome, Italy. PARTICIPANTS: A total of 600 elite female athletes (mean age, 21 years; range, 12-49 years) who had participated in vigorous training (mean duration, 9 years; range, 2-32 years) and had competed in 27 sports, including 211 athletes at the international level and 389 at the national level. A control group consisted of 65 sedentary volunteer women (mean age, 23.7 years; range, 14-41 years) who were free of cardiovascular disease and who did not participate in regular athletic training. MAIN OUTCOME MEASURES: Left ventricular end-diastolic cavity dimension and wall thickness. RESULTS: Athletes demonstrated larger left ventricular end-diastolic cavity dimension (mean +/- SD) (49 +/- 4 mm) and greater maximal wall thickness (8.2 +/- 0.9 mm) than controls (46 +/- 3 mm and 7.2 +/- 0.6 mm; P < .001). These dimensions were 6% and 14% larger in athletes. Among athletes, left ventricular cavity dimension was 40 mm to 66 mm, exceeded normal limits ( > 54 mm) in 47 women (8%), and was within the range consistent with primary dilated cardiomyopathy ( > or = 60 mm) in 4 athletes (1%). Training for endurance sports, such as cycling, cross-country skiing, and rowing had the greatest effect on cavity dimension. Left ventricular wall thickness was 6 mm to 12 mm in athletes and did not exceed normal limits or extend into the borderline gray zone with hypertrophic cardiomyopathy in any subject. Compared with data from 738 previously studied male athletes, female athletes showed significantly smaller left ventricular cavity dimension (11% less; P < .001) and wall thickness (23% less; P < .001). CONCLUSIONS: Highly trained women athletes frequently demonstrate cardiac dimensional changes as an adaptation to physical training, although absolute left ventricular cavity size exceeding normal limits was evident in a minority (8%) of women athletes and was rarely (1% of athletes) within the range of dilated cardiomyopathy. Athletic training was not a stimulus for substantial increases in absolute left ventricular wall thickness, which was within normal limits for all women athletes. These findings suggest that the clinical differentiation of athlete's heart and hypertrophic cardiomyopathy appears to be a diagnostic dilemma that is limited to male athletes.
Adolescent↗
Physiologic limits of left ventricular hypertrophy in elite junior athletes: relevance to differential diagnosis of athlete's heart and hypertrophic cardiomyopathy.
OBJECTIVES: The present study was undertaken to define physiologic limits of left ventricular hypertrophy in elite adolescent athletes. BACKGROUND: Systematic sports training may cause increased left ventricular wall thickness (LVWT), creating uncertainty regarding the differential diagnosis of athlete's heart from hypertrophic cardiomyopathy (HCM). This distinction is crucial because HCM is responsible for about one-third of all sudden deaths in young athletes. Echocardiographic data defining athlete's heart are limited largely to adults, with little information specifically in adolescent athletes (14 to 18 years old), for whom the risk of sudden death from HCM is highest. METHODS: Seven hundred and twenty elite adolescent athletes (75% male) aged 15.7 +/- 1.4 years participating in ball, racket, and endurance sports and 250 healthy sedentary controls of similar age, gender, and body surface area underwent echocardiography. RESULTS: Compared with controls, athletes had greater absolute LVWT (9.5 +/- 1.7 mm vs. 8.4 +/- 1.4 mm; p < 0.0001). Maximal LVWT exceeded predicted upper limits in 38 athletes (5%); however, no female athlete had a LVWT >11 mm and only three trained male athletes had absolute LVWT >12 mm (0.4%). Each of the 38 athletes with a LVWT exceeding predicted limits also showed enlarged left ventricular cavity dimension (54.4 +/- 2.1 mm; range 52 to 60 mm). CONCLUSIONS: Trained adolescent athletes demonstrated greater absolute LVWT compared with nonathletes. Only a small proportion of athletes exhibited a LVWT exceeding upper limits, very rarely >12 mm, and then always with chamber enlargement. Hypertrophic cardiomyopathy should be considered strongly in any trained adolescent male athlete with LVWT >12 mm (females >11 mm) and nondilated left ventricle.
Adolescent↗
Nutrition knowledge and dietary composition in Italian adolescent female athletes and non-athletes.
This study aims to investigate dietary composition and nutrition knowledge of 60 athlete and 59 non-athlete adolescent females (age, 14-18 years), using a 3-day food recall and a questionnaire on nutrition. The reported daily energy intake was similar in athletes and non-athletes, but less than the recommended and the estimated requirements. In the athletes, the energy supply from breakfast was higher than in the non-athletes (18.5 +/- 6.6 vs. 15.0 +/- 8.2%, p < .005). Energy intake from carbohydrates was higher (53.6 +/- 6.2 vs. 49.8 +/- 6.3%, p < .05) and that from lipids was lower (30.4 +/- 5.5 vs. 34.2 +/- 5.2%, p < .001) in athletes than in non-athletes. Athletes also showed higher fiber (20.0 +/- 5.8 vs. 14.1 +/- 4.3 g/day, p < .001), iron (10.6 +/- 5.1 vs. 7.5 +/- 2.1 mg/day, p < .001) and vitamin A (804 +/- 500 vs. 612 +/- 456 micrograms/day, p < .05) reported intake than non-athletes. Calcium, iron, and zinc intake were less than 100% RDA in both groups. Athletes gave a slightly higher rate of correct answers on the nutrition knowledge questionnaire (77.6 vs. 71.6%, p < .01) than non-athletes. In conclusion, the overall recalled dietary intake and nutrition knowledge of the studied adolescent females show some misconceptions and nutrient deficiencies, but the results in athletes are quite better than in non-athletes, suggesting a favorable role of sport practice on dietary habits and nutrition knowledge.
Adolescent↗
Disorders of the female athlete triad among collegiate athletes.
This study examined the prevalence of and relationship between the disorders of the female athlete triad in collegiate athletes participating in aesthetic, endurance, or team/anaerobic sports. Participants were 425 female collegiate athletes from 7 universities across the United States. Disordered eating, menstrual dysfunction, and musculoskeletal injuries were assessed by a health/medical, dieting and menstrual history questionnaire, the Eating Attitudes Test (EAT-26), and the Eating Disorder Inventory Body Dissatisfaction Subscale (EDI-BD). The percentage of athletes reporting a clinical diagnosis of anorexia and bulimia nervosa was 3.3% and 2.3%, respectively; mean ( SD) EAT and EDI-BD scores were 10.6 9.6 and 9.8 7.6, respectively. The percentage of athletes with scores indicating "at-risk" behavior for an eating disorder were 15.2% using the EAT-26 and 32.4% using the EDI-BD. A similar percentage of athletes in aesthetic, endurance, and team/anaerobic sports reported a clinical diagnosis of anorexia or bulimia. However, athletes in aesthetic sports scored higher on the EAT-26 (13.5 10.9) than athletes in endurance (10.0 9.3) or team/anaerobic sports (9.9 9.0, p <.02); and more athletes in aesthetic versus endurance or team/anaerobic sports scored above the EAT-26 cut-off score of 20 (p <.01). Menstrual irregularity was reported by 31% of the athletes not using oral contraceptives, and there were no group differences in the prevalence of self-reported menstrual irregularity. Muscle and bone injuries sustained during the collegiate career were reported by 65.9% and 34.3% of athletes, respectively, and more athletes in aesthetic versus endurance and team/anaerobic sports reported muscle (p =.005) and/or bone injuries (p <.001). Athletes "at risk" for eating disorders more frequently reported menstrual irregularity (p =.004) and sustained more bone injuries (p =.003) during their collegiate career. These data indicate that while the prevalence of clinical eating disorders is low in female collegiate athletes, many are "at risk" for an eating disorder, which places them at increased risk for menstrual irregularity and bone injuries.
Adult↗
Somatotypes of premenarcheal athletes and non-athletes.
One-hundred thirty-four premenarcheal girls between the ages of 7 and 15 years were somatotyped according to the Health-Carter technique. Sexual maturation was determined by self-assessed Tanner stages. Statistical analysis was completed on 50 athletes (representing seven sports) and 29 non-athletes over the age of 10 years. The mean somatotype for the athletes was calculated to be 2.4-3.6-3.9 and for the non-athletes 3.7-3.7-3.6. Single component ANOVA's revealed that the athletes were significantly less endomorphic (p less than 0.01) than the non-athletes. The overall somatotype ratings and the equality of dispersion about the means were significantly different between the athletes and non-athletes. The single highest category for the athletes was mesomorph-ectomorph and for the non-athletes, mesomorphic-endomorph. Significant negative correlations were obtained between mesomorphy and breast development (-0.33, p less than 0.05) and mesomorphy and pubic hair development (-0.44, p less than 0.01) for the athletes. Significant positive correlations were obtained between endomorphy and breast development (0.55, p less than 0.01) and endomorphy and pubic hair development (0.45, p less than 0.05) for the non-athletes. The mean somatotype for the gymnasts was 2.1-3.9-3.6 and for the swimmers 2.5-3.4-4.1. These two groups were significantly different from each other on each separate component and overall somatotype, but not in equality of dispersion. The results support the conclusion that premenarcheal athletes are morphologically different from non-athletes despite their youth and from each other based on sport specificity.
Adolescent↗
Ambulatory electrocardiographic findings in top athletes, athletic students and control subjects.
Aim of the present study was to evaluate 24 h electrocardiographic recording in 30 top athletes, 30 athletic students and 30 sedentary control subjects. Each group consisted of 15 males and 15 females and were matched for age (about 24 years). Training was not allowed during the recording. Top athletes had the lowest diurnal and nocturnal heart rate, but the difference between top athletes and athletic students was far less pronounced than between athletic students and controls. This may indicate that bradycardia reaches a lower limit with moderate degrees of training. Atrioventricular (AV) block II was found in 3 top athletes and 4 athletic students and in none of the subjects, the longest pause being 2.4 s in both athletic groups. Most episodes occurred during night and nearly all were Mobitz type I. In all cases of AV block II the QRS complexes were narrow and AV block III did not occur. SA block was found in 3 top athletes, 1 athletic student and 1 control subject, the longest pause being 3.1, 2.9 and 1.9 s, respectively. Ventricular premature beats were rare in all groups and complex ventricular arrhythmias were not found. Half of the subjects were in Lown class 0, the other half in Lown class 1. Supraventricular premature beats were also scarce and most frequent in top athletes, followed by athletic students and sedentary controls (2.0, 1.0, 0.7 beats/h, respectively).
Adult↗
Bone mass and bone turnover in power athletes, endurance athletes, and controls: a 12-month longitudinal study.
Strain magnitude may be more important than the number of loading cycles in controlling bone adaptation to loading. To test this hypothesis, we performed a 12 month longitudinal cohort study comparing bone mass and bone turnover in elite and subelite track and field athletes and less active controls. The cohort comprised 50 power athletes (sprinters, jumpers, hurdlers, multievent athletes; 23 women, 27 men), 61 endurance athletes (middle-distance runners, distance runners; 30 women, 31 men), and 55 nonathlete controls (28 women, 27 men) aged 17-26 years. Total bone mineral content (BMC), regional bone mineral density (BMD), and soft tissue composition were measured by dual-energy X-ray absorptiometry. Bone turnover was assessed by serum osteocalcin (human immunoradiometric assay) indicative of bone formation, and urinary pyridinium crosslinks (high-performance liquid chromatography) indicative of bone resorption. Questionnaires quantified menstrual, dietary and physical activity characteristics. Baseline results showed that power athletes had higher regional BMD at lower limb, lumbar spine, and upper limb sites compared with controls (p < 0.05). Endurance athletes had higher BMD than controls in lower limb sites only (p < 0.05). Maximal differences in BMD between athletes and controls were noted at sites loaded by exercise. Male and female power athletes had greater bone density at the lumbar spine than endurance athletes. Over the 12 months, both athletes and controls showed modest but significant increases in total body BMC and femur BMD (p < 0.001). Changes in bone density were independent of exercise status except at the lumbar spine. At this site, power athletes gained significantly more bone density than the other groups. Levels of bone formation were not elevated in athletes and levels of bone turnover were not predictive of subsequent changes in bone mass. Our results provide further support for the concept that bone response to mechanical loading depends upon the bone site and the mode of exercise.
Adolescent↗
Daily energy expenditure and its main components as measured by whole-body indirect calorimetry in athletic and non-athletic adolescents.
The objectives of the present study were to determine whether differences in usual physical activity affect BMR, sleeping energy expenditure (EE), and EE during seated activities between athletic and non-athletic adolescents, and to establish individual relationships between heart rate and EE. Adolescents (n 49, four groups of eleven to fifteen boys or girls aged 16-19 years) participated in the study. Body composition was measured by the skinfold-thickness method and maximum O2 consumption (VO2max) by a direct method (respiratory gas exchange) on a cycloergometer. The subjects each spent 36 h in one of two large whole-body calorimeters. They followed a standardized activity programme including two periods of exercise simulating their mean weekly physical activities. Fat-free mass (FFM), VO2max, daily EE and EE during sleep and seated activities were significantly higher in athletic than in non-athletic subjects of both sexes. VO2max, daily EE and EE during exercise adjusted for FFM were higher in athletic than in non-athletic adolescents (P < 0.001), whereas sleeping EE, BMR and EE during seated activities and adjusted for FFM were not significantly different between athletic and non-athletic adolescents. However, sex differences in EE remained significant. Thus, differences in EE between athletic and non-athletic adolescents resulted mainly from differences in FFM and physical exercise. Usual activity did not significantly affect energy utilization of substrates. Finally, individual relationships were computed between heart rate and EE with activity programmes simulating the usual activities of athletic and non-athletic adolescents with the goal of predicting EE of the same subjects in free-living conditions.
Adolescent↗
Ventilatory endurance in athletes and non-athletes.
Do the ventilatory muscles (VM) of normal persons become fatigued while high ventilation is maintained during strenuous exercise? If so, then one effect of the intense training performed by endurance athletes should be an increase in VM endurance. To investigate this possibility, eight female endurance-athletes and eight female non-athletes were compared in studies of both short-term and long-term maximal ventilation. The two groups were matched for age, body size, and vital capacity. While athletes and non-athletes had similar short-term maximal ventilation (12-s MVV), the athletes displayed greater ventilatory endurance on two-long-term breathing tests. In the first, ventilation was increased 30 1/min every 4 min. Before exhaustion, athletes reached a ventilation that was a significantly greater fraction of their 12-s MVV (75% vs 67%, P less than 0.01), than did non-athletes. Although the energy cost (VO2) of submaximal levels of ventilation was identical in the two groups, athletes reached a significantly greater peak VO2 during this progressive test (P less than 0.05). In the second test of ventilatory endurance, 80% of the 12-s MVV was sustained until exhaustion. Endurance times averaged 11 min for athletes and 3 min for non-athletes (P less than 0.01). While these results do not rule out the possibility of genetic predisposition to high VM endurance in athletes, they are consistent with the possibility that VM training may occur in normal persons during forms of endurance exercise training.
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Bone density in women: college athletes and older athletic women.
Bone density was studied in intercollegiate athletes and older athletic women. Single-photon densitometry was used to assess bone density parameters at a new distal radial site, the midradius, and the first metatarsus. Dual-photon densitometry assessed bone density of the lumbar spine. Eleven intercollegiate tennis players, 23 swimmers, and 86 older "athletic" women from 23 to 75 years of age were compared with age-matched nonathletic controls. "Athletic" describes adult women who exercised at least three times per week, 8 or more months of the year, for a minimum of 3 years. The radius and metatarsus bone content of intercollegiate athletes was significantly above control values. Lumbar spine density was significantly higher only in tennis players. Mean bone density values for adult "athletic" women were also significantly greater than in age-matched controls. In the oldest athletic group (55-75 years of age) bone measurement values in radius and lumbar spine were in the same range as for younger "athletic" women. In contrast, after 50 years of age, these values in the control population decreased by 0.7%/year. Therefore the largest variance (increase) from age-matched controls occurred in the oldest "athletic" group. Also, we have established a distal radial density value (using our modified site) below which we consider women "at risk" and recommend further bone health evaluation. Only two adult athletic women greater than 55 years of age fell into this category. It is concluded from this cross-sectional study that a regularly maintained athletic program for adult women may reduce the rate of "normal" bone mass loss accompanying age, particularly postmenopausally.(ABSTRACT TRUNCATED AT 250 WORDS)
Adolescent↗
A comparison of myocardial function in former athletes and non-athletes.
Heart rate (HR), total electromechanical systole (Q-S2), left ventricular ejection time (LVET), pre-ejection period (PEP), and diastole (D) were compared in 350 former athletes and 156 non-athletes, age 27-74. The two cohorts had been equated according to habitual leisure time physical activity. Former athletes exhibited significantly longer Q-S2 and PEP at rest, and significantly lower HR and lengthened Q-S2, LVET, PEP, and D at one minute following a standard two minute step test (less than 0.05). Significantly differences were observed between athletes and non-athletes in the light and moderate activity categories. There were no significant differences between former athletes and non-athletes currently engaged in strenuous leisure time physical activity. Comparisons were made among the three levels of habitual leisure time physical activity with each group and revealed that HR was lower and Q-S2, LVET, PEP, and D were longer at rest and following exercise as the level of physical activity increased. There were more significant differences among former athletes than among non-athletes. Most of these differences were between light to moderate and light to strenuous levels of activity. The evidence suggests an advantage in myocardial function among former athletes compared to their non-athlete counterparts.
Adult↗
Findings from the preparticipation athletic examination and athletic injuries.
This study investigated the relationships between the findings from a standardized preparticipation athletic examination, the sport played, and athletic injuries requiring treatment by a physician and/or requiring the athlete to miss one or more games. Of public high school students receiving a preparticipation athletic examination during the 1989-1990 academic year, 674 (56%) either completed a telephone interview or returned a mailed questionnaire at the end of the academic year. The sample consisted of 408 (60.5%) blacks and 243 (36.1%) whites; 470 (69.7%) of the subjects were males. The subjects ranged in age from 13 to 20 years (mean +/- SD, 16.1 +/- 1.2 years), and participated in at least 10 school sports. Injuries were reported by 29.5% of the athletes. The highest proportion of athletes injured occurred among male football (36.3%), female basketball (33.3%), male baseball (19.4%), male soccer (17.2%), and female track and field (15.8%) participants. Responses by the athletes and their parents on the standardized health history were significantly associated with injuries in several specific areas. Knee injuries were associated with previous knee injuries, knee surgery, and history of injuries requiring medical treatment. Ankle injuries were associated with previous ankle injuries and previous injuries requiring medical treatment. Both arm and other leg injuries were associated with previous fractures. Male athletes with either abnormal knee or ankle findings from the physical examination were more likely to injure the knee or ankle, respectively. However, the sensitivities and positive predictive values of these relationships are weak. These data suggest that the preparticipation athletic examination may not predict certain athletic injuries and that additional prevention efforts for specific body areas of injury are needed in certain sports.
Adolescent↗
Morphology of the "athlete's heart" assessed by echocardiography in 947 elite athletes representing 27 sports.
In the present study, we used echocardiography to investigate the morphologic adaptations of the heart to athletic training in 947 elite athletes representing 27 sports who achieved national or international levels of competition. Cardiac morphology was compared for these sports, using multivariate statistical models. Left ventricular (LV) diastolic cavity dimension above normal (> 54 mm, ranging up to 66 mm) was identified in 362 (38%) of the 947 athletes. LV wall thickness above normal (> 12 mm, ranging up to 16 mm) was identified in only 16 (1.7%) of the athletes. Athletes training in the sports examined showed considerable differences with regard to cardiac dimensions. Endurance cyclists, rowers, and swimmers had the largest LV diastolic cavity dimensions and wall thickness. Athletes training in sports such as track sprinting, field weight events, and diving were at the lower end of the spectrum of cardiac adaptations to athletic training. Athletes training in sports associated with larger LV diastolic cavity dimensions also had higher values for wall thickness. Athletes training in isometric sports, such as weightlifting and wrestling, had high values for wall thickness relative to cavity dimension, but their absolute wall thickness remained within normal limits. Analysis of gender-related differences in cardiac dimensions showed that female athletes had smaller LV diastolic cavity dimension (average 2 mm) and smaller wall thickness (average 0.9 mm) than males of the same age and body size who were training in the same sport.(ABSTRACT TRUNCATED AT 250 WORDS)
Adolescent↗
Comparison of athletes with life-threatening ventricular arrhythmias with two groups of healthy athletes and a group of normal control subjects.
Sudden cardiac death in well-trained athletes is most often superimposed on the presence of structural heart disease. However, some athletes die suddenly in the absence of overt heart disease. To improve identification of athletes at high risk for ventricular tachycardia (VT), ventricular repolarization, the signal-averaged electrocardiogram (ECG), and the echocardiogram from 13 male athletes with symptomatic VT and without evidence of manifest cardiac disease were compared with data obtained in 3 matched control groups (15 apparently healthy professional road cyclists, 10 professional basketball players, and 15 normal control subjects without any sports activity). All patients had apparently normal QRS duration on the routine ECG, and none were taking antiarrhythmic drugs. Echocardiography and signal-averaged electrocardiography were useful in distinguishing the group of athletes with tachyarrhythmias from the group of normal nonsporting controls, but not from both groups of normal athletes. The QT interval (V4) and the QT interval corrected with the cubic root were shorter for the nonsporting controls. Three parameters for QT dispersion showed significant differences (p < 0.003) between athletes with disease and all other groups. It is concluded that although significant differences were detected between normal subjects and the 3 groups of athletes by routine ECG, the signal-averaged ECG, and echocardiography, only an increased QT dispersion from the 12-lead ECG was helpful in distinguishing athletes with VT from other athletes.
Adult↗