Iso Yoshitaka, Kitai Hitomi, Kubota Megumi, Tsujiuchi Miki, Nagumo Sakura, Toshida Tsutomu, Ebato Mio, Suzuki Hiroshi
Division of Cardiology, Department of Internal Medicine, Showa University Fujigaoka Hospital, Yokohama, Japan.
Division of Cardiology, Showa University Fujigaoka Rehabilitation Hospital, Yokohama, Japan.
Int J Cardiol Cardiovasc Risk Prev. 2024 Dec 26;24:200362. doi: 10.1016/j.ijcrp.2024.200362. eCollection 2025 Mar.
Long-term exercise training induces various morphological adaptations in the heart. Although concentric left ventricular (LV) geometry is occasionally observed in young athletes, its clinical significance is unclear. This study aimed to investigate the characteristics of young rugby athletes with concentric LV geometry and considered its clinical implications.
This cross-sectional study assessed 120 male collegiate rugby freshmen, with a healthy lifestyle and without a family history, via physical and blood pressure evaluations, resting 12-lead electrocardiography (ECG), echocardiography, and cardiopulmonary exercise testing. The athletes were divided into three groups based on the 4-tiered echocardiographic classification for LV hypertrophy: normal geometry, concentric geometry, and eccentric hypertrophy. Concentric geometry was identified in 11 % of the athletes. No significant differences in anthropometry or exercise capacity were observed between athletes with normal and abnormal geometries. However, athletes with concentric geometry had significantly higher systolic blood pressure (SBP) compared to the other groups. SBP levels were significantly correlated with both LV mass index and concentricity; an SBP ≥136 mmHg could independently predict concentric geometry. In contrast, the ECG criteria for LV hypertrophy showed limited diagnostic accuracy for detecting concentric geometry.
These findings suggest that elevated SBP can serve as an early marker for identifying and managing concentric geometry in young athletes, which potentially represents a mild, previously unrecognized form of hypertensive remodeling.
长期运动训练会使心脏产生各种形态学适应。尽管在年轻运动员中偶尔会观察到同心性左心室（LV）几何形态，但尚不清楚其临床意义。本研究旨在调查具有同心性LV几何形态的年轻橄榄球运动员的特征，并探讨其临床意义。
这项横断面研究通过体格检查、血压评估、静息12导联心电图（ECG）、超声心动图和心肺运动测试，对120名生活方式健康且无家族病史的男性大学橄榄球新生进行了评估。根据LV肥厚的4级超声心动图分类，将运动员分为三组：正常几何形态、同心几何形态和离心性肥厚。11%的运动员被确定为同心几何形态。在几何形态正常和异常的运动员之间，人体测量学或运动能力方面未观察到显著差异。然而，与其他组相比，具有同心几何形态的运动员收缩压（SBP）显著更高。SBP水平与LV质量指数和同心度均显著相关；SBP≥136 mmHg可独立预测同心几何形态。相比之下，LV肥厚的ECG标准在检测同心几何形态方面显示出有限的诊断准确性。
这些发现表明，升高的SBP可作为识别和管理年轻运动员同心几何形态的早期标志物，这可能代表一种轻度的、以前未被认识的高血压重塑形式。
