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- Henriksen, Egil, et al.
(author)
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An echocardiographic study of right and left ventricular adaptation to physical exercise in elite female orienteers
- 1999
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In: European Heart Journal. - : Oxford University Press (OUP). - 0195-668X .- 1522-9645. ; 20:4, s. 309-316
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Journal article (peer-reviewed)abstract
- BACKGROUND: A considerable body of echocardiographic studies has described how athletic training induces morphological adaptation of the left ventricle in male endurance athletes, but only a few studies have described left ventricular adaptation in female endurance athletes. In contrast to changes in the left ventricle far less attention has been directed towards right ventricular changes due to extensive physical exercise. The purpose of this study was to obtain normal values and to determine if there are any differences in right and left ventricular cavity and wall dimensions between female orienteers and females with a mainly sedentary lifestyle. METHODS: Echocardiography was performed in 42 highly trained elite female orienteers and 32 healthy female students with a predominantly sedentary lifestyle. The 74 females had no history of cardiac disease, a normal electrocardiogram and showed no echocardiographic abnormalities. M-mode and two-dimensional measurements of the right and left ventricular cavity and wall were obtained in elite orienteers and sedentary females. For the right ventricle and wall, multiple cross-sections were used and measurements were obtained from the right ventricular inflow and outflow tract. RESULTS: The left ventricular end-diastolic cavity dimension and the left ventricular wall thickness were significantly greater in the athletes compared with the sedentary controls. The right ventricular inflow tract measurements were all significantly greater in the orienteers compared with the controls but the right ventricular outflow tract measurements were comparable in the study groups. The right ventricular wall thickness, calculated as the mean of three different wall measurements was an average of 13% greater in the athletes compared with the sedentary controls. CONCLUSION: This study suggests symmetrical cardiac enlargement with a concomitant increase in both the right and left ventricular wall, probably reflecting the increased haemodynamic loading in the female athletes.
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- Henriksen, Egil, et al.
(author)
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Doppler transmitral and pulmonary venous flow in young orienteers and sedentary young adults
- 2000
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In: Echocardiography. - : Wiley. - 0742-2822 .- 1540-8175. ; 17:2, s. 133-139
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Journal article (peer-reviewed)abstract
- Doppler filling indices may provide important information on left ventricular diastole and possibly diastolic adaptation in endurance athletes. We therefore undertook a comparative study to obtain reference values for transmitral and pulmonary venous Doppler flow velocities and to characterize differences between young orienteers and young sedentary adults. Seventy-six elite orienteers (42 female and 34 male; 17-30 years old) and 61 sedentary young subjects (32 female and 29 male; 17-33 years old) underwent echocardiography. No significant differences between the athletes and sedentary controls regarding peak transmitral flow were found, although the athletes had significantly higher peak pulmonary flow velocity during diastole than the sedentary controls (0.69+/-0.13, 0.61+/-0.10, 0.78+/-0.12, and 0.57+/-0.09 m/sec for female athletes, female sedentary controls, male athletes, and male sedentary controls, respectively). Because no significant differences were revealed in the transmitral flow velocities between the athletes and the sedentary subjects, the relative force between the left atrium and the left ventricle should not diverge during early filling. An increase in pulmonary venous pressure or a decrease in left atrial pressure can augment the force between the pulmonary veins and the left atrium. A rise in pulmonary venous pressure is a hemodynamically unlikely adaptation in endurance athletes; therefore, to maintain the same transmitral pressure with an assumed lower left atrial pressure, the data suggest a more rapid relaxation and an improved left ventricular elastic recoil, which would enable the athletes to achieve a more rapid negative left ventricular pressure change during early filling.
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- Henriksen, Egil, et al.
(author)
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Echocardiographic right and left ventricular measurements in male elite endurance athletes
- 1996
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In: European Heart Journal. - : Oxford University Press (OUP). - 0195-668X .- 1522-9645. ; 17:7, s. 1121-1128
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Journal article (peer-reviewed)abstract
- Echocardiography was used to assess normal values in the right and left ventricular cavity and wall in 127 male elite endurance athletes. M-mode and two dimensional measurements of left ventricle and left and right atria were also obtained. All subjects were high-performance orienteers, cross-country skiers and middle-distance runners. They all had a normal electrocardiogram at rest and no echocardiographic evidence of heart disease. With the use of multiple right ventricular cross-sections and two-dimensional measurements, we found a significantly greater right ventricular inflow tract and right and left atrial measurements in endurance athletes compared with earlier studies of normal, active subjects. The right ventricular free wall was slightly thicker than reported in normal active subjects but the differences were small. Left ventricular diastolic diameter was consistent with previous reports of endurance athletes. Of the 127 subjects, 13% had left ventricular wall thickness above 13 mm but none of the athletes had wall thickness above 15 mm. These data suggest that cardiac enlargement occurs symmetrically in both right and left cavities, probably reflecting increased haemodynamic loading, a mechanism by which athletes sustain a high cardiac output during exercise.
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- Jonason, T., et al.
(author)
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Menopause is associated with the stiffness of the common carotid artery in 50-year-old women
- 1998
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In: Clinical Physiology. - : Wiley. - 0144-5979 .- 1365-2281. ; 18:2, s. 149-155
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Journal article (peer-reviewed)abstract
- To determine if menopause has an effect on the elasticity of the arteries, the stiffness index of the common carotid artery was studied in 84 premenopausal and 139 post-menopausal women. The study group was age-homogeneous, all women being 50 years of age. There were no significant differences between pre- and post-menopausal women regarding atherosclerosis, when measured as the number of subjects with plaques or intimal-medial thickness. The diameter of the common carotid artery was significantly larger in post-menopausal women. The diameter was correlated to measurements of body size which did not, however, differ between the two groups. The mean stiffness indexes were 4.99 +/- 1.02 and 5.38 +/- 1.21 in the pre- and post-menopausal groups respectively (P < 0.05). In a multivariate analysis, menopause (P < 0.05), and also serum insulin levels (P < 0.01) and smoking (P < 0.05) were found to have independent significant associations to the stiffness index. In conclusion, menopause is associated with reduced elasticity of the carotid arteries in 50-year-old women.
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