Left ventricular function in marathon runners: echocardiographic assessment

Abstract

Cardiac alterations induced by chronic isotonic exercise were assessed echocardiographically in 8 active male marathon runners aged 29 +/- 7 yr (mean +/- SD) compared with 10 sedentary controls aged 27 +/- 5 yr. The runners had a significantly higher aerobic capacity than the controls (72.8 +/- 6 vs. 41.4 +/- 6 ml . kg-1 . min-1; P less than 0.001). Compared with the controls, the runners had a significantly lower heart rate at rest (49 +/- 3 vs. 73 +/- 9 beats/min; P less than 0.01) and during submaximal supine exercise at a similar absolute work load (115 +/- 11 vs. 124 +/- 12 beats/min; P less than 0.01). Similarly, the runners had a lower pressure-rate product both at rest (5.52 +/- 1.0 x 10(3) vs. 9.43 +/- 1.4 x 10(-3)) and during submaximal exercise (19.7 +/- 3.2 x 10(3) vs. 25.0 +/- 4.2 x 10(3); P less than 0.01). The left ventricular peak velocity of circumferential fiber shortening of the runners relative to that of the controls was significantly reduced both at rest (1.40 +/- 0.08 vs. 1.64 +/- 0.08 circ/s) and during submaximal supine exercise at a similar absolute work load (2.36 +/- 0.15 vs. 2.71 +/- 0.10 circ/s). However, this reduction in V cf was found to be directly related to the lower pressure-rate product of the runners and therefore did not reflect a decreased intrinsic myocardial contractility in the runners relative to the controls.