The upper limit of physiological cardiac hypertrophy in elite male and female athletes: the British experience

Establishment of upper normal limits of physiological hypertrophy in response to physical training is important in the differentiation of physiological and pathological left ventricular hypertrophy. The genetic differences that exist in the adaptive response of the heart to physical training and the...

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Bibliographic Details
Published in:European journal of applied physiology 2004-08, Vol.92 (4-5), p.592-597
Main Authors: Whyte, G P, George, K, Sharma, S, Firoozi, S, Stephens, N, Senior, R, McKenna, W J
Format: Article
Language:English
Subjects:
Adolescent
Adult
Cardiomegaly - physiopathology
Cohort Studies
Death, Sudden, Cardiac - epidemiology
Echocardiography, Doppler
Electrocardiography
Female
Humans
Hypertrophy, Left Ventricular - physiopathology
Male
Peptidyl-Dipeptidase A - genetics
Physical Fitness - physiology
Polymorphism, Genetic - genetics
Sex Characteristics
Sports - physiology
United Kingdom - epidemiology
Ventricular Function, Left - physiology
Ventricular Remodeling - physiology
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Summary:Establishment of upper normal limits of physiological hypertrophy in response to physical training is important in the differentiation of physiological and pathological left ventricular hypertrophy. The genetic differences that exist in the adaptive response of the heart to physical training and the causes of sudden cardiac death in young athletes indicate the need for population-specific normal values. Between September 1994 and December 2001, 442 (306 male, 136 female) elite British athletes from 13 sports were profiled. Standard two-dimensional guided M-mode and Doppler echocardiography were employed to evaluate left ventricular morphology and function. Eleven (2.5%) athletes, competing in a range of sports including judo, skiing, cycling, triathlon, rugby and tennis, presented with a wall thickness >13 mm, commensurate with a diagnosis of hypertrophic cardiomyopathy. Eighteen (5.8%) male athletes presented with a left ventricular internal diameter during diastole (LVIDd) >60 mm, with an upper limit of 65 mm. Of the 136 female athletes, none where found to have a maximum wall thickness >11 mm. Left ventricular internal diameter was
ISSN:1439-6319
1439-6327
DOI:10.1007/s00421-004-1052-2