Key result
Lean body mass, endurance training, and training age independently determine left atrial size in athletes.
Why the study?
Structural adaptations of the athlete's heart include LA enlargement, prompting a review of how demographic, anthropometric, and athletic characteristics influence LA size.
Which demographic, anthropometric, and athletic characteristics determine left atrial size in athletes?
Which demographic, anthropometric, and athletic characteristics determine left atrial size in athletes?
Understanding the primary drivers of left atrial enlargement in athletes (lean body mass and endurance training) helps clinicians distinguish physiological 'athlete's heart' adaptations from pathological remodeling.
Answers are grounded in this paper and cite their sources.
May aid differentiation of physiological from pathological left atrial enlargement in athletes; leaves open prospective validation across sports.
The structural adaptations of the "athlete's heart" include left atrial (LA) enlargement. A literature search was performed based on PubMed listings up to November 2, 2019 using "athletes AND left atrium," "athletes AND LA," "sports AND left atrium," "sports AND LA," "exercise AND left atrium," and "exercise AND LA" as the search terms. Eligible studies included those reporting the influence of demographic, anthropometric and athletic characteristics on LA size in athletes. A total of 58 studies were included in this review article. Although LA volume has been reported to be greater in males compared to females when indexed for body surface area (BSA), there was no difference between sexes. The positive association between LA size and age in athletes may reflect the increase in body size with maturation in nonadult athletes and the training age of endurance athletic activity in adult athletes. Caucasian and black athletes have been demonstrated to exhibit similar LA enlargement. The positive association of LA size with lean body mass (LBM) possibly accounts for the relationship of LA size with BSA. LA enlargement has been reported only in endurance-trained, but not in strength-trained athletes. LA size appears to increase with an increase in both the volume and intensity of endurance training. LA size correlates independently with the training age of endurance athletes. The athlete's characteristics that independently determine LA size include LBM, endurance training, and training age.
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Christou et al. (2020) conducted a review in Athlete's heart (Left atrial enlargement). Endurance training, lean body mass, and training age vs. Strength training, lower training volumes, or nonathletes was evaluated on Left atrial size (volume or diameter). Left atrial size in athletes is independently determined by lean body mass, endurance training, and training age.
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