Copyright © 2006, The European Society of Cardiology
Ultrasonographic study of left ventricular function at rest in a group of highly trained black African handball players
aLaboratory of Cardiac Doppler Ultrasound, General Hospital, Yaoundé – Cameroon
bDepartment of Internal Medicine, Cardiology Unit, Faculty of Medicine and Biomedical Sciences, University of Yaoundé 1, Yaoundé General Hospital, P.O. Box 8412, Yaoundé, Cameroon
cThe George Institute for International Health, University of Sydney, Sydney, NSW, Australia
dDepartment of Physiology, University of Yaoundé 1, Yaoundé, Cameroon
Received 24 September 2005; received in revised form 18 February 2006; accepted after revision 28 February 2006.
* Corresponding author. Department of Internal Medicine, Cardiology Unit, Faculty of Medicine and Biomedical Sciences, University of Yaoundé 1, Yaoundé General Hospital, P.O. Box 8412, Yaoundé, Cameroon. Tel.: +237 999 1340; fax: +237 223 4297. aitdzudie{at}yahoo.com
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Abstract |
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Aims Most of the studies of athlete's heart have been performed on Caucasian and yet, evidence suggests that there are racial differences in the response of the heart to certain pathological conditions such as hypertension. This study aimed to evaluate the morphologic cardiac changes in a group of highly trained Cameroonian handball players.
Methods and results We studied cardiac morphology and function as assessed by echocardiography at rest in 21 asymptomatic international level handball players and 21 age-, sex-, height- and weight-matched sedentary controls. Echocardiographic variables were compared between groups using unpaired t-test.
Compared with controls, wall thickness, relative wall thickness (h/R), left ventricular (LV) mass, LV end diastolic diameter (LVEDD) and left atrial diameter were significantly greater in athletes. None of the athlete exhibited a wall thickness above 12mm. The ejection fraction (EF) and the mitral pattern on pulsed wave Doppler did not differ in the two groups.
Conclusions Both LVEDD and wall thickness of elite Cameroonian handball players are increased. There is an increased h/R. The LV EF was normal and not supranormal, as is sometimes believed. These cardiac changes are consistent with cardiac adaptation required in this type of sportsmen who are submitted both in endurance and resistance training.
Keywords: LV, left ventricular; SWT, septal wall thickness; PWT, posterior wall thickness; LVEDD, LV end diastolic diameter; LVESD, LV end systolic diameter; EF, ejection fraction; WT, wall tension; MWS, meridional wall stress