Structural-functional changes in the cardiovascular system during high athletic activity in aboriginals of Yakutia

To study structural-functional changes in the cardiovascular system and metabolic characteristics in residents of Yakutia who were engaged in sports activities, 146 Yakut men 18–29 years old living in Yakutsk were examined. The basic group consisted of elite athletes (free-style wrestling and boxing) ( n = 108; average age, 20.2 ± 0.2 years). The control group consisted of untrained healthy men ( n = 38; average age, 24.5 ± 0.4 years). The examination included primary inspection, anthropometry, echocardiography, integral rheography of the body, measurement of blood pressure (BP), and biochemical analysis of blood serum. The basic group was divided into two subgroups depending on the BP level (Ia, with optimal and normal BP; Ib, with high normal BP). The results of examination showed that playing sports causes specific changes in the function of the cardiovascular system that are consistent with the idea on the “adaptation to function” and “sports heart.” In 10% of cases, athletes showed disturbances of hemodynamic parameters (higher BP, stroke volume, and total peripheral resistance during bradycardia), coinciding with a more pronounced increase in the weight of the left ventricular myocardium, which are indicative of the disturbance of intrasystem interactions.