Key result
Intensive exercise in female athletes induces smaller cardiac adaptations than men with lower SCD risk.
Why the study?
Despite increasing participation in elite and amateur sport, few studies have focused on cardiovascular adaptations to exercise, lifelong exercise effects, exercise-related sudden cardiac death risk, and cardiovascular disease management in female athletes compared with male athletes.
What are the cardiovascular adaptations to exercise, risk of sudden cardiac death, and management strategies for cardiovascular diseases in female athletes?
What are the cardiovascular adaptations to exercise, risk of sudden cardiac death, and management strategies for cardiovascular diseases in female athletes?
This review highlights that female athletes exhibit distinct, less pronounced cardiovascular adaptations to exercise than men and have a lower risk of exercise-related sudden cardiac death, without increased risk of AF or myocardial fibrosis from lifelong exercise.
Answers are grounded in this paper and cite their sources.
Supports sex-specific athlete screening; leaves open prospective validation of SCD risk differences.
The number of female athletes taking part in elite and amateur sport is ever increasing. In contrast with male athletes, few studies have focused on cardiovascular adaptations to exercise in women, the effects of lifelong exercise on heart muscle and electrical tissue, the risk of exerciserelated sudden cardiac death and the management of cardiovascular disease. Women have a lower prevalence of large QRS complexes, repolarisation changes including inferior and lateral T-wave inversion, and cardiac dimensions exceeding predicted limits compared with men. The risk of exercise-related sudden cardiac death is significantly lower in women than men. Also, women who have engaged in lifelong exercise do not have a higher prevalence of AF, coronary artery calcification or myocardial fibrosis than their sedentary counterparts. Apart from providing an overview of the existing literature relating to cardiac adaptations, this review explores possible reasons for the sex differences and focuses on the management of cardiovascular disorders that affect female athletes.
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Castelletti et al. (2021) conducted a review in Cardiovascular diseases in female athletes. Intensive exercise vs. Male athletes and sedentary controls was evaluated. Intensive exercise in female athletes induces similar but smaller-scale physiological cardiac adaptations compared to men, with a significantly lower risk of exercise-related sudden cardiac death.
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