Key result
Long-term ultra-endurance sports are not associated with RV dysfunction compared to active controls.
Why the study?
The clinical relevance of right ventricular arrhythmogenic remodelling in amateur ultra-endurance athletes was unknown.
Does long-term ultra-endurance sport practice cause right ventricular dysfunction or complex ventricular arrhythmias in amateur athletes?
Cross-Sectional (n=97)
Does long-term ultra-endurance sport practice cause right ventricular dysfunction or complex ventricular arrhythmias in amateur athletes?
Absolute Event Rate: -21.7% vs -21.8%
p-value: p=0.973
Long-term ultra-endurance sport practice in amateur athletes is not associated with right ventricular dysfunction or complex ventricular arrhythmias.
No association with RV dysfunction seen in amateurs; leaves open arrhythmia risks and causal inference.
OBJECTIVE: Ultra-endurance sports are becoming increasingly popular in middle-aged amateur athletes. Right ventricular (RV) arrhythmogenic remodelling has been described in high-level endurance athletes, like professional cyclists. The clinical relevance for amateurs is unknown. DESIGN: We investigated male amateur runners of the 2011 Grand Prix of Bern, a popular 10-mile race in Switzerland. Participants were stratified according to their former participations in long-distance competitions: active controls (leisure-time runners), marathon runners and ultra-endurance athletes (78 and 100 km runners, long-distance triathletes). RV function and morphology were assessed by echocardiography, including two-dimensional speckle tracking. Primary endpoint was RV global strain. Ventricular ectopy was assessed by 24 h ambulatory Holter monitoring. Results were adjusted for lifetime training hours. RESULTS: 97 normotensive athletes were included in the final analysis. The mean age was 42±8 years. Compared with active controls and marathon runners, ultra-endurance athletes had significantly more lifetime training hours and participated more often in competitions. Groups showed no differences with regard to RV global strain (-21.8±2.9 vs -23.3±2.8 vs -21.7±2.3%; p=0.973) and RV end-diastolic area (22.1±2.9 vs 22.9±4.2 vs 23.2±3.5 cm(2); p=0.694). The number of premature ventricular contractions (PVCs) was weakly associated with the RV size (r=0.208; p=0.042). Overall ventricular ectopy was low (0-486 PVCs/24 h) and equally distributed between the groups. CONCLUSIONS: In our small sample of amateur athletes, long-term ultra-endurance sport practice was not associated with RV dysfunction or complex ventricular arrhythmias.
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Rimensberger et al. (2013) conducted a cross-sectional in Amateur runners (n=97). Ultra-endurance sport practice vs. Active controls (leisure-time runners) and marathon runners was evaluated on Right ventricular (RV) global strain (p=0.973). Long-term ultra-endurance sport practice in male amateur athletes was not associated with right ventricular dysfunction, showing similar RV global strain compared to controls (P=0.973).
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