Institute of Sport Medicine and Science, Italian National Olympic Committee, Rome, Italy.
Br J Sports Med. 2017 Feb;51(4):238-243. doi: 10.1136/bjsports-2016-096961. Epub 2016 Dec 30.
Olympic athletes represent model of success in our society, by enduring strenuous conditioning programmes and achieving astonishing performances. They also raise scientific and clinical interest, with regard to medical care and prevalence of cardiovascular (CV) abnormalities.
Our aim was to assess the prevalence and type of CV abnormalities in this selected athlete's cohort.
DESIGN, SETTING AND PARTICIPANTS: 2352 Olympic athletes, mean age 25±6, 64% men, competing in 31 summer or 15 winter sports, were examined with history, physical examination, 12-lead and exercise ECG and echocardiography. Additional testing (cardiac MRI, CT scan) or electrophysiological assessments were selectively performed when indicated.
Prevalence and type of CV findings, abnormalities and diseases found in Olympic athletes over 10 years.
A subset of 92 athletes (3.9%) showed abnormal CV findings. Structural abnormalities included inherited cardiomyopathies (n=4), coronary artery disease (n=1), perimyocarditis (n=4), myocardial bridges (n=2), valvular and congenital diseases (n=45) and systemic hypertension (n=10). Primary electrical diseases included atrial fibrillation (n=2), supraventricular reciprocating tachycardia (n=14), complex ventricular tachyarrhythmias (non-sustained ventricular tachycardia, n=7; bidirectional ventricular tachycardia, n=1) or major conduction disorders (Wolff-Parkinson-White (WPW), n=1; Long QT syndrome (LQTS), n=2).
Our study revealed an unexpected prevalence of CV abnormalities among Olympic athletes, including a small, but not negligible proportion of pathological conditions at risk. This observation suggests that Olympic athletes, despite the absence of symptoms or astonishing performances, are not immune from CV disorders and might be exposed to unforeseen high-risk during sport activity.
奥林匹克运动员代表了我们社会中的成功典范，他们经受艰苦的训练计划，取得惊人的成绩。他们也引起了科学界和临床医生的兴趣，涉及到心血管（CV）异常的医疗保健和患病率。
我们的目的是评估这一精选运动员队列中 CV 异常的患病率和类型。
设计、环境和参与者：对 2352 名年龄在 25±6 岁的奥林匹克运动员（64%为男性）进行了检查，他们参加了 31 项夏季或 15 项冬季运动，包括病史、体格检查、12 导联和运动心电图以及超声心动图。当需要时，选择性地进行了额外的测试（心脏 MRI、CT 扫描）或电生理评估。
10 年来在奥林匹克运动员中发现的 CV 发现、异常和疾病的患病率和类型。
有 92 名运动员（3.9%）存在异常 CV 发现。结构性异常包括遗传性心肌病（n=4）、冠状动脉疾病（n=1）、心肌炎（n=4）、心肌桥（n=2）、瓣膜和先天性疾病（n=45）和系统性高血压（n=10）。原发性电疾病包括心房颤动（n=2）、室上性折返性心动过速（n=14）、复杂室性心动过速（非持续性室性心动过速，n=7；双向性室性心动过速，n=1）或主要传导障碍（WPW，n=1；长 QT 综合征（LQTS），n=2）。
我们的研究显示，奥林匹克运动员的 CV 异常患病率出人意料，包括一小部分但并非微不足道的有风险的病理状况。这一观察结果表明，尽管没有症状或惊人的表现，奥林匹克运动员也不能免受 CV 障碍的影响，并且在运动活动中可能面临意想不到的高风险。
