Presentation Abstract

Title: P2-148 - Adaptive Left Ventricle Hypertrophy in Soccer Players: An Echocardiographic Follow Up
Authors: Loira Toncelli, Laura Stefani, Roberto Mercuri, Roberta M. C. Vono, Valentina Di Tante, Alessio De Luca, Giorgio Galanti. University of Florence - Careggi Hospital, Florence, Italy
Abstract Body: Background: Regular physical activity determines a progressive increase of the cardiac mass. It is an “Adaptative, Reversible and adeguate hypertrophy whose Left Ventricle (LV) morphological aspect can be more concentric or eccentric in consequence of the type of practiced sports. No long term follow up data are anyway available in case of a mixed training sport such as soccer. Aim of the study was to follow up the impact of the physical training on the heart morphology in a group of soccer players by the echocardiography. Method: Since January 1993 up to December 2010 a group of 285 athletes, playing in ACF Fiorentina Italian Premier league, matched with a sedentary control group, was evaluated bi-yearly. They regularly trained for 11 months-year, for at least 2 hours for five times in a week and they played a match on the Sunday. Every July the players made a stage of 3 weeks of 2 sessions of training including 2-3 hours daily. Among them,78 athletes had a full 5 years echo-follow up with a complete evaluation of the aortic dimensions at root (AOr), LVDD (left ventricle diastolic diameter), LVSD (Left ventricle systolic diameter), IVS (interventricular septum), PW (posterior wall) thickness and LVMi (Left Ventricular Mass index) and EF %. Results: LV dimensions and the LVMi were significantly higher in athletes than sedentary controls (LVMi : 125,50 vs. 95,40 gr/m2 respectively). After 5 years follow-up, the athletes didn’t show any modifications of cardiac dimensions: LVDD has changed slightly from 52.20 mm to 53.40 mm; LVSD was increased from 32.60 mm to 33.45 mm, LVMi was increased from 125.77 to 127.25 gr/m2 ;p=NS). No significant enhancement of AOr diameter was found (AOr: from 28.40 mm to 32.50 mm). Conclusions: LV dimensions chamber and LVMi are normally to the upper limits of the normal range in regularly trained athletes. After a 5 -years -follow-up, all the cardiac chambers dimensions maintains anyway the same size with stable LVMi values. Regular exercise induces a mild LV hypertrophy. This increase of the LV chamber can be therefore considered a normal adaptative consequence to stress-exercise.


Technical Support
Phone: 217-398-1792
Helpdesk