Key result
Native Hawaiian and Pacific Islander rugby players demonstrated greater left ventricular mass and wall thickness compared to matched Caucasian controls.
Cross-Sectional (n=42)
No
Elite Native Hawaiian and Pacific Islander rugby athletes exhibit greater left and right ventricular wall thickness and mass with altered mechanics compared to Caucasian athletes, highlighting the need for ethnicity-specific criteria in sports cardiology screening.
Answers are grounded in this paper and cite their sources.
May warrant ethnicity-specific athlete screening norms; leaves open prospective outcome validation.
The aim of this exploratory study was to define the Athletes Heart (AH) phenotype in Native Hawaiian & Pacific Islander (NH&PI) Rugby Football League (RFL) athletes. Specifically, (1) to describe conventional echocardiographic indices of left ventricle (LV) and right ventricle (RV) structure and function in NH&PI RFL players and matched RFL Caucasian controls (CC) and (2) to demonstrate LV and RV mechanics in these populations. Ethnicity is a contributory factor to the phenotypical expression of the AH. There are no data describing the cardiac phenotype in NH&PI athletes. Twenty-one male elite NH&PI RFL athletes were evaluated using conventional echocardiography and myocardial speckle tracking, allowing the assessment of global longitudinal strain (ε) and strain rate (SR); and basal, mid and global radial and circumferential ε and SR. Basal and apical rotation and twist were also assessed. Results were compared with age-matched Caucasian counterparts (CC; n = 21). LV mass [42 ± 9 versus 37 ± 4 g/(m2.7)], mean LV wall thickness (MWT: 9.5 ± 0.7 and 8.7 ± 0.4 mm), relative wall thickness (RWT: 0.35 ± 0.04 and 0.31 ± 0.03) and RV wall thickness (5 ± 1 and 4 ± 1 mm, all p < 0.05) were greater in NH&PI compared with CC. LV and RV cavity dimensions and standard indices of LV and RV systolic and diastolic function were similar between groups. NH&PI demonstrated reduced peak LV mid circumferential ε and early diastolic SR, as well as reduced global radial ε. There was reduced basal rotation at 25–35% systole, reduced apical rotation at 25–40% and 60–100% systole and reduced twist at 85–95% systole in NH&PI athletes. There were no differences between the two groups in RV wall mechanics. When compared to Caucasian controls, NH&PI rugby players have a greater LV mass, MWT and RWT with concomitant reductions in circumferential and twist mechanics. This data acts to prompt further research in NH&PI athletes.
No takes yet. Share an insight, caveat, or question.
Johnson et al. (2017) conducted a cross-sectional in Healthy elite athletes (Athletes Heart) (n=42). Native Hawaiian and Pacific Islander ethnicity vs. Caucasian ethnicity was evaluated on Left ventricular mass [g/(m^2)^2.7] (p=0.017). Native Hawaiian and Pacific Islander rugby players demonstrated greater left ventricular mass and wall thickness compared to matched Caucasian controls.
Synapse has enriched 10 related papers. Consider them for comparative context: