Temporal Changes in Cardiovascular Remodeling Associated with Football Participation

This study sought to compare the cardiovascular response to HS versus collegiate ASF participation. Methods The ASF participants (HS, n = 61; collegiate, n = 87) were studied at preseason and postseason time points with echocardiography and applanation tonometry. Primary outcome variables included: left ventricular (LV) mass index, LV diastolic function (early relaxation velocity [E′]), and arterial stiffness (pulse wave velocity [PWV]). Results High school (17.1 ± 0.4 yr) and collegiate ASF participants (18 ± 0.4 yr) experienced similar LV hypertrophy (ΔLV mass HS = 10.5 ± 10 vs collegiate = 11.2 ± 13.6 g·m−2, P = 0.97). Among HS participants, increases in LV mass were associated with stable diastolic tissue velocities (ΔE′ = −0.3 ± 2.9 cm·s−1, P = 0.40) and vascular function (ΔPWV = −0.1 ± 0.6 m·s−1, P = 0.13). In contrast, collegiate participants demonstrated a higher burden of concentric LV hypertrophy (21/87, 24% vs 7/61, 11%, P = 0.026) with concomitant reductions in diastolic tissue velocities (ΔE′: −2.0 ± 2.7 cm·s−1, P
Source: Medicine and Science in Sports and Exercise - Category: Sports Medicine Tags: Applied Sciences Source Type: research