Key result
In endurance athletes, indexed left ventricular mass (145 vs 93 g/m in controls) was significantly associated with blood pressure at peak exercise (r=0.58, P<0.001).
Why the study?
Are left ventricular mass and concentricity associated with exercise blood pressure in endurance athletes?
Observational (n=47)
Are left ventricular mass and concentricity associated with exercise blood pressure in endurance athletes?
In endurance athletes, left ventricular mass is strongly associated with blood pressure during heavy dynamic exercise, while LV concentricity correlates with blood pressure response during static exercise.
LV mass association with exertional BP in athletes is hypothesis-generating; prospective studies needed before clinical relevance.
We studied whether left ventricular (LV) mass and concentricity [relative myocardial volume (RMV)] are associated with exercise blood pressure (BP) in athletes. LV structure and filling were evaluated by Doppler echocardiography and BP in maximal bicycle ergometry and isometric handgrip tests on 32 male endurance athletes and 15 age-matched controls. Indexed LV mass was 145 +/- 14 (SD) g/m in athletes and 93 +/- 20 g/m in controls. Mass was not associated with BP at rest or in low-grade exercise, but with heavier exercise loads this association strengthened in athletes, being maximal at peak exercise (r = 0.65 for mass and 0.58 for indexed mass; P < 0.001). Multivariate analysis indicated that BP at peak exercise accounted for 34% and the amount of training for an additional 11% of the variance in indexed LV mass. RMV was 21% larger in athletes. Only the increase in systolic BP during handgrip explained significantly (19%) the variance in RMV. LV filling velocities were not associated with mass, RMV, or BP. We conclude that in endurance athletes LV mass is associated with BP in heavy dynamic exercise and LV concentricity with BP response in static exercise.
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Karjalainen et al. (1997) conducted an observational in Endurance athletes (n=47). Endurance athletic training vs. Age-matched controls was evaluated on Indexed LV mass and its association with exercise blood pressure (r = 0.58, p=<0.001). In endurance athletes, indexed left ventricular mass (145 vs 93 g/m in controls) was significantly associated with blood pressure at peak exercise (r=0.58, P<0.001).
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