Left ventricular structure and function by echocardiography in childhood swimmers

Area of Science:

• Pediatric Cardiology
• Sports Medicine
• Cardiovascular Physiology

Background:

• Regular physical activity influences cardiac structure and function in children.
• Echocardiography is a key tool for assessing cardiac adaptations to exercise.

Purpose of the Study:

• To investigate the impact of systematic swimming training on left ventricular (LV) dimensions, mass index, and function in school-aged children.
• To compare echocardiographic parameters between young swimmers and sedentary controls.

Main Methods:

• Echocardiography was used to assess left ventricular dimensions, wall thickness, aortic root and left atrium diameters, and left ventricle mass index.
• The study included 82 school-aged swimmers (training ≥ 6 months) and 41 sedentary children matched for age, sex, and weight.

Main Results:

• Swimmers exhibited significantly greater left ventricular dimensions, wall thicknesses, aortic root and left atrium diameters, and left ventricle mass index compared to controls (p < 0.05).
• No significant differences were observed in left ventricular systolic function (ejection fraction, shortening fraction) or filling characteristics between the groups (p > 0.05).

Conclusions:

• Systematic swimming training in childhood leads to significant increases in left ventricular dimensions and mass index.
• Endurance training does not alter systolic function or diastolic filling characteristics in young swimmers.
• Interpreting echocardiographic findings in young athletes necessitates considering their training history and volume.