Persistent and reversible cardiac dysfunction among amateur marathon runners.
Tomas G Neilan1, Danita M Yoerger, Pamela S Douglas
1Cardiac Ultrasound Laboratory, Division of Cardiology, Department of Medicine, Massachusetts General Hospital and Harvard Medical School, Boston, 02114-2696, USA.
European Heart Journal
|March 24, 2006
Summary
Marathon running causes temporary systolic dysfunction and lasting diastolic dysfunction in the left and right ventricles. These cardiac changes in athletes may persist long after endurance events.
Area of Science:
- Cardiology
- Sports Medicine
- Physiology
Background:
- Endurance sports are known to cause transient changes in ventricular function.
- Previous studies may have underestimated these alterations due to limitations in assessment techniques.
Purpose of the Study:
- To investigate the extent and timing of cardiac alterations following endurance events using load-independent methods.
- To characterize systolic and diastolic function changes in the left ventricle (LV) and right ventricle (RV) after a marathon.
Main Methods:
- Transthoracic echocardiography (TTE) was used to assess 20 amateur athletes before, immediately after, and one month after the Boston Marathon.
- Advanced echocardiographic techniques, including tissue Doppler (TD) and flow propagation velocity (Vp), were employed to evaluate ventricular function.
Main Results:
- Global LV systolic function remained unchanged post-marathon.
- TD-derived measures showed reduced LV and RV systolic function immediately after the event.
- Significant diastolic dysfunction in both LV and RV was observed, with persistent abnormalities in RV diastolic function at follow-up.
Conclusions:
- Marathon running induces transient systolic dysfunction and more persistent diastolic dysfunction in both ventricles.
- Diastolic abnormalities may linger in athletes long after the cessation of intense endurance activity.
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