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Atrial size and sports. A great training for a greater left atrium: how much is too much?
- Source :
-
The international journal of cardiovascular imaging [Int J Cardiovasc Imaging] 2021 Mar; Vol. 37 (3), pp. 981-988. Date of Electronic Publication: 2020 Oct 26. - Publication Year :
- 2021
-
Abstract
- Athlete's heart results from physiological adaptations to the increased demands of exercise, and left atrial (LA) enlargement (LAE) is a fundamental component. However, LAE occurs in certain pathological conditions and it might represent a diagnostic challenge in athletes. LA volume index (LAVi) by echo is a convenient diagnostic tool for LAE identification. We hypothesized that accumulated lifetime training thousand hours (LTH) would have a main role in LAE. Therefore, our aim was to assess the association between LTH, LAVi and LAE in athletes. Young and middle-aged males with different training levels were included and grouped as recreational (REa, n = 30), competitive (COa, n = 169) and elite (ELa, n = 80) athletes for LTH calculation and echo assessment. LA dimensions resulted greater in ELa when compared to other groups (p < 0.001). LAVi correlated stronger with LTH than with age (p < 0.001). Polynomial regression analysis showed a non-linear, almost triphasic, effect of cumulative training on LA size (p < 0.02). Multivariate logistic regression, including LTH, age, body surface area, systolic blood pressure and other explanatory variables to predict LAE, showed LTH as the sole significant factor [OR 1.45 (CI 1.1-1.92), p < 0.008]. ROC analysis found an optimal cut off point of 3.6 LTH for LAE identification (AUC = 0.84, p < 0.001. RR = 5.65, p < 0.001). We conclude that LAE associates with LTH more than with other clinical parameters, and with less impact at higher amounts of LTH. Lifetime training greater than 3600 hours increases the probability of finding LAE in athletes. Future research should provide more insights and implications of these findings.
- Subjects :
- Adolescent
Adult
Age Factors
Heart Atria physiopathology
Humans
Male
Middle Aged
Predictive Value of Tests
Prohibitins
Sex Factors
Young Adult
Adaptation, Physiological
Athletes
Atrial Function, Left
Atrial Remodeling
Cardiomegaly, Exercise-Induced
Echocardiography, Doppler
Heart Atria diagnostic imaging
Physical Conditioning, Human
Sports
Subjects
Details
- Language :
- English
- ISSN :
- 1875-8312
- Volume :
- 37
- Issue :
- 3
- Database :
- MEDLINE
- Journal :
- The international journal of cardiovascular imaging
- Publication Type :
- Academic Journal
- Accession number :
- 33104945
- Full Text :
- https://doi.org/10.1007/s10554-020-02082-2