Chronic Adaptation of Atrial Structure and Function in Elite Male Athletes

View/ open
Author
McClean, Gavin
George, Keith
Lord, Rachel
Utomi, Victor
Jones, Nigel
Somauroo, John
Fletcher, Sarah
Oxborough, David
Date
2014-11-03Acceptance date
2014-10-01
Type
Article
Publisher
Oxford University Press
ISSN
2047-2404
2047-2412 (online)
Metadata
Show full item recordAbstract
Aims =
The aim of this study was to establish the degree of structural and functional adaptations in the left (LA) and right atria (RA) in elite male athletes engaged in ‘high dynamic : high static’ (HDHS) and ‘low dynamic : high static’ (LDHS) sporting disciplines compared with sedentary controls.
Methods and results =
Eighteen male, elite HDHS athletes (13 boxers and 7 triathletes), 18 male, elite LDHS athletes (8 weightlifters and 10 Akido), and 20 male, age-matched sedentary controls were assessed using conventional 2D and myocardial speckle tracking (MST) echocardiography. Absolute LA and RA volumes [end systole (VOLes), pre A (VOLpreA), and end diastole (VOLed)] as well as the functional indices of reservoir (RESvol), conduit (CONvol), and booster volumes (BOOvol) were defined. MST allowed the assessment of atrial strain (ε) during the reservoir (RESε), conduit (CONε), and booster (BOOε) phases of the cardiac cycle. Both LA and RA sizes were significantly larger in HDHS compared with LDHS and controls (P < 0.05) across all structural and functional volume parameters with no significant difference between LDHS and controls (LAVOLes 35 ± 8, 26 ± 10, and 23 ± 5 mL/m2; RAVOLes 37 ± 10, 26 ± 9, and 23 ± 5 mL/m2, LARESvol 35 ± 9, 25 ± 11, and 23 ± 7 mL; RARESvol 41 ± 11, 34 ± 11, and 28 ± 7 mL for HDHS, LDHS, and controls, respectively). RA : LA ratios were >1 in all groups due to a comparatively larger RA volume (RAVOLes : LAVOLes 1.05 ± 0.26, 1.12 ± 0.55, and 1.04 ± 0.28 for HDHS, LDHS, and controls, respectively, P > 0.05). There was no significant between group differences for any ε parameter.
Conclusion =
Bi-atrial hypertrophy is demonstrated in HDHS athletes and not in LDHS athletes, suggesting that the dynamic component to training is the primary driver for both LA and RA adaptation. Although functional data derived from volume shifts suggest augmented function in HDHS athletes, MST imaging demonstrated no difference in intrinsic atrial ε in any of the groups.
Journal/conference proceeding
European Heart Journal - Cardiovascular Imaging;
Citation
McClean, G., George, K., Lord, R., Utomi, V., Jones, N., Somauroo, J., Fletcher, S. and Oxborough, D. (2014) 'Chronic adaptation of atrial structure and function in elite male athletes', European Heart Journal-Cardiovascular Imaging, 16(4), pp.417-422.
Description
Article published in European Heart Journal-Cardiovascular Imaging available at https://doi.org/10.1093/ehjci/jeu215
Collections
- Sport Research Groups [1089]
Related items
Showing items related by title, author, subject and abstract.
-
Resting cardiopulmonary function in paralympic athletes with cervical spinal cord injury
West, C.R.; Campbell, I.G.; Shave, Rob; Romer, L.M. (2012)Purpose: The purposes of this study were to describe resting cardiopulmonary function in highly trained athletes with cervical spinal cord injury (SCI) and to compare the data with able-bodied (AB) control subjects. Methods: ... -
Stimulus-specific functional remodeling of the left ventricle in endurance and resistance-trained men
Dawkins, Tony; Curry, Bryony; Drane, Aimee L.; Lord, Rachel; Richards, Cory; Brown, Megan; Pugh, Christopher J. A.; Lodge, Freya; Yousef, Zaheer; Stembridge, Mike; Shave, Rob (American Physiological Society, 2020-09-01)Left ventricular (LV) structural remodeling following athletic training has been evidenced through training-specific changes in wall thickness and geometry. Whether the LV response to changes in hemodynamic load also adapts ... -
CHANGES IN LEFT VENTRICULAR FUNCTION AND MORPHOLOGY IN RESPONSE TO HIGH-INTENSITY, CROSS-TRAINING.
Edwards, Daniel (University of Wales Institute Cardiff, 2012)It is a widely accepted concept that different exercise modalities produce different effects of myocardial hypertrophy in athletes; a sport-specific hypothesis proposed by Morganroth et al. (1977). The literature would ...