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The impact of chronic endurance and resistance training upon the right ventricular phenotype in male athletes

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Abstract

Objectives

The traditional view of differential left ventricular adaptation to training type has been questioned. Right ventricular (RV) data in athletes are emerging but whether training type mediates this is not clear. The primary aim of this study was to evaluate the RV phenotype in endurance- vs. resistance-trained male athletes. Secondary aims included comparison of RV function in all groups using myocardial speckle tracking, and the impact of allometric scaling on RV data interpretation.

Methods

A prospective cross-sectional design assessed RV structure and function in 19 endurance-trained (ET), 21 resistance-trained (RT) and 21 sedentary control subjects (CT). Standard 2D tissue Doppler imaging and speckle tracking echocardiography assessed RV structure and function. Indexing of RV structural parameters to body surface area (BSA) was undertaken using allometric scaling.

Results

A higher absolute RV diastolic area was observed in ET (mean ± SD: 27 ± 4 cm2) compared to CT (22 ± 4 cm2; P < 0.05) that was maintained after scaling. Whilst absolute RV longitudinal dimension was greater in ET (88 ± 9 mm) than CT (81 ± 10 mm; P < 0.05), this difference was removed after scaling. Wall thickness was not different between ET and RT and there were no between group differences in global or regional RV function.

Conclusion

We present some evidence of RV adaptation to chronic ET in male athletes but limited structural characteristics of an athletic heart were observed in RT. Global and regional RV functions were comparable between groups. Allometric scaling altered data interpretation in some variables.

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Abbreviations

ARVC:

Arrhythmogenic right ventricular cardiomyopathy

ASE:

American Society of Echocardiography

BSA:

Body surface area

CT:

Control subjects

ε :

Strain

ET:

Endurance-trained athlete

FAC:

Fractional area change

LV:

Left ventricular

PASP:

Pulmonary artery systolic pressure

PLAX:

Parasternal long axis

PSAX:

Parasternal short axis

RT:

Resistance-trained athlete

RV:

Right ventricle

RVD area:

Right ventricular end-diastolic area

RVD1:

Right ventricular basal inflow

RVL:

Right ventricular length

RVOT:

Right ventricular outflow tract

SR:

Strain rate

SRA’:

Strain rate during late ventricular diastole

SRE’:

Strain rate during early ventricular diastole

SRS’:

Strain rate during ventricular systole

STE:

Speckle tracking echocardiography

TAPSE:

Tricuspid annular plane systolic excursion

TDI:

Tissue Doppler imaging

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Acknowledgments

Study participants, coaches, British Aikido Association National Squad/team members, UK; Western States Endurance Run Foundation, USA and Dr Nick Sculthorpe for providing technical support.

Conflict of interest

None.

Author information

Authors and Affiliations

  1. Research Institute for Sport and Exercise Sciences, Liverpool John Moore’s University, Tom Reilly Building, Byrom Street, Liverpool, L3 3AF, UK

    Victor Utomi, David Oxborough, Rachel Lord, Greg Whyte, John Somauroo & Keith George

  2. Cardiopulmonary Exercise Testing Lab, Centre for Inherited Cardiovascular Disease, Stanford University, Stanford, CA, USA

    Euan Ashley

  3. Cardiology Department, Airedale General Hospital, Keighley, UK

    Sarah Fletcher

  4. Cardiff School of Sport, Cardiff Metropolitan University, Cardiff, UK

    Mike Stembridge & Rob Shave

  5. Departments of Physical Medicine and Rehabilitation and Veterans Affairs, Northern California Health Care System, University of California Davis Medical Centre, Sacramento, CA, USA

    Martin D. Hoffman

  6. Cardiology Department, Countess of Chester Hospital, Liverpool Road, Chester, UK

    John Somauroo

  7. St George’s University Hospital London, South West London, UK

    Sanjay Sharma

Authors
  1. Victor Utomi
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  2. David Oxborough
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  3. Euan Ashley
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  4. Rachel Lord
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  5. Sarah Fletcher
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  6. Mike Stembridge
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  7. Rob Shave
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  8. Martin D. Hoffman
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  9. Greg Whyte
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  10. John Somauroo
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  11. Sanjay Sharma
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  12. Keith George
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Corresponding author

Correspondence to Victor Utomi.

Additional information

Communicated by David C. Poole.

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Utomi, V., Oxborough, D., Ashley, E. et al. The impact of chronic endurance and resistance training upon the right ventricular phenotype in male athletes. Eur J Appl Physiol 115, 1673–1682 (2015). https://doi.org/10.1007/s00421-015-3147-3

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s00421-015-3147-3

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