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Abnormal exercise electrocardiograms in master athletes after three months of deconditioning
L I Katzel1, M J Busby-Whitehead, J M Hagberg
1Department of Medicine, University of Maryland School of Medicine, Baltimore, USA.
Objective:
To determine the effects of 3 months of voluntary deconditioning on cardiac function in master athletes.
Design:
A prospective study.
Setting:
Research participants at the University of Maryland School of Medicine and Johns Hopkins Bayview Medical Center.
Participants:
Ten older (59 +/- 8 years, mean +/- SD), highly conditioned (maximal aerobic capacity VO2 max 50 +/- 5 mL/kg/min), aerobically trained athletes.
Measurements And Results:
Three months after the cessation of training, three of the 10 athletes had unexpected, new, markedly asymptomatic, ischemic-appearing, exercise-induced ST-segment depression on their maximal exercise tests. After retraining, the ST-segment changes disappeared in two of the subjects, but it persisted, although at a higher work load, in one of the athletes.
Conclusion:
In three master athletes, voluntary cardiopulmonary deconditioning was associated with the development of new, asymptomatic, exercise-induced ST-segment depression on exercise ECG. The mechanisms underlying these new ischemic-appearing ST-segment changes accompanying detraining and their clinical significance are not known and warrant further investigation.