Coronavirus Disease 2019 and the Athletic Heart Emerging Perspectives on Pathology, Risks, and Return to Play

Total Page:16

File Type:pdf, Size:1020Kb

Coronavirus Disease 2019 and the Athletic Heart Emerging Perspectives on Pathology, Risks, and Return to Play Clinical Review & Education JAMA Cardiology | Special Communication Coronavirus Disease 2019 and the Athletic Heart Emerging Perspectives on Pathology, Risks, and Return to Play Jonathan H. Kim, MD, MSc; Benjamin D. Levine, MD; Dermot Phelan, MD, PhD; Michael S. Emery, MD, MS; Mathew W. Martinez, MD; Eugene H. Chung, MD, MSc; Paul D. Thompson, MD; Aaron L. Baggish, MD Editorial IMPORTANCE Cardiac injury with attendant negative prognostic implications is common Author Audio Interview among patients hospitalized with coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) infection. Whether cardiac injury, including myocarditis, also occurs with asymptomatic or mild-severity COVID-19 infection is uncertain. There is an ongoing concern about COVID-19–associated cardiac pathology among athletes because myocarditis is an important cause of sudden cardiac death during exercise. Author Affiliations: Emory University School of Medicine, Emory OBSERVATIONS Prior to relaxation of stay-at-home orders in the US, the American College of Clinical Cardiovascular Research Cardiology’s Sports and Exercise Cardiology Section endorsed empirical consensus Institute, Atlanta, Georgia (Kim); recommendations advising a conservative return-to-play approach, including cardiac risk Institute for Exercise and stratification, for athletes in competitive sports who have recovered from COVID-19. Environmental Medicine, Texas Health Presbyterian Dallas, Dallas Emerging observational data coupled with widely publicized reports of athletes in (Levine); The University of Texas competitive sports with reported COVID-19–associated cardiac pathology suggest that Southwestern Medical Center, Dallas myocardial injury may occur in cases of COVID-19 that are asymptomatic and of mild severity. (Levine); Sanger Heart and Vascular Institute, Atrium Health, Charlotte, In the absence of definitive data, there is ongoing uncertainty about the optimal approach to North Carolina (Phelan); Sports cardiovascular risk stratification of athletes in competitive sports following COVID-19 Cardiology Center, Department of infection. Cardiovascular Medicine, Cleveland Clinic, Cleveland, Ohio (Emery); CONCLUSIONS AND RELEVANCE This report was designed to address the most common Morristown Medical Center, Atlantic questions regarding COVID-19 and cardiac pathology in athletes in competitive sports, Health System, Morristown, New Jersey (Martinez); Michigan including the extension of return-to-play considerations to discrete populations of athletes Medicine, University of Michigan, not addressed in prior recommendations. Multicenter registry data documenting Ann Arbor (Chung); Hartford cardiovascular outcomes among athletes in competitive sports who have recovered from Hospital, Hartford, Connecticut COVID-19 are currently being collected to determine the prevalence, severity, and clinical (Thompson); Cardiovascular Performance Program, relevance of COVID-19–associated cardiac pathology and efficacy of targeted cardiovascular Massachusetts General Hospital, risk stratification. While we await these critical data, early experiences in the clinical Boston (Baggish). oversight of athletes following COVID-19 infection provide an opportunity to address key Corresponding Author: Aaron L. areas of uncertainty relevant to cardiology and sports medicine practitioners. Baggish, MD, Cardiovascular Performance Program, Massachusetts General Hospital, JAMA Cardiol. doi:10.1001/jamacardio.2020.5890 55 Fruit St, Yawkey Ste 5B, Published online October 26, 2020. Boston, MA 02114 ([email protected]). n May 2020, the American College of Cardiology’s Sports generally considered individuals who place a high premium and Exercise Cardiology Section generated recommenda- on training, competition, and sports achievement.10 As such, tar- I tions to promote safe return to play (RTP) for athletes geted RTP risk stratification for all athletes deserves careful involved with competitive sports after severe acute respiratory consideration. syndrome coronavirus 2 infection.1 Motivated by observations of Relaxation of stay-at-home orders across the US enabled cardiac injury in patients hospitalized with coronavirus disease many athletes to return to training and competition. In collabora- 2019 (COVID-19),2 that document1 and others3-5 proposed algo- tion with the sports medicine community and despite the current rithms for preparticipation screening, geared toward the detec- lack of supportive data, we have since accrued considerable expe- tion of COVID-19–associated cardiac complications. At present, rience overseeing RTP testing among athletes with prior the prevalence and clinical implications of COVID-19 cardiac COVID-19 infection at all levels of sport. This document was writ- pathology in athletes are unknown. However, publicized ten to address the most common questions posed by the media media reports of athletes with suspected COVID-19–induced and in clinics, athletic training rooms, and ongoing discussions myocarditis,6,7 coupled with emerging data documenting cardiac among cardiologists who participate in the care of athletes. The injury among community-based cohorts,8,9 have fueled concerns authors were selected by the Leadership Council of the Sports about the safety of athletics. The definition of an athlete and Exercise Cardiology Section of the American College of Cardi- can also be arbitrary. From enthusiasts of youth sports to ology to provide this narrative reassessment of the previous masters-level exercise (in those aged >35 years), athletes are consensus statement. jamacardiology.com (Reprinted) JAMA Cardiology Published online October 26, 2020 E1 © 2020 American Medical Association. All rights reserved. Downloaded From: https://jamanetwork.com/ by a Université de Lausanne User on 11/06/2020 Clinical Review & Education Special Communication Coronavirus Disease 2019 and the Athletic Heart troponin (hs-cTn) levels allow detection of myocardial injury and are Part 1. COVID-19 Pathology and the Athletic Heart associated with outcomes in patients hospitalized with COVID-19,24 implications among healthy athletes with asymptomatic or mild dis- What Is Known About the Effects of COVID-19 Infection ease have yet to be established. Second, 99th-percentile assay val- on the Heart For Individuals With Mild or No Symptoms ues were not derived from athletes and should be used as a rule-in Symptoms defining mild COVID-19 include nonspecific and self- or rule-out criterion with caution.25 Third, normal hs-cTn reference limited fatigue; anosmia or ageusia; nausea, vomiting, and/or diar- ranges for athletes, stratified by age and sex, do not exist, which can rhea;headache;cough;sorethroat;andnasopharyngealcongestion.11 lead to clinical dilemmas in interpreting borderline or mildly el- Progression to moderate or severe disease and the potential need for evated values. Finally,most medical centers in the US still rely on the hospitalization are characterized by the onset of systemic symptoms less sensitive cardiac troponin assays, thus limiting standardization (persistent fever [temperature Ն100.4 °F] or chills, myalgias, severe for hs-cTn test results.26 lethargy,andhypoxiaorpneumonia)and/orcardiovascular(CV)symp- Troponin testing to screen for COVID-19 cardiac injury must be toms (dyspnea and chest pain, tightness, or pressure at rest or during performed at least 24 to 48 hours after exercise and should be re- exertion).11 In patients hospitalized with moderate or severe COVID- peated after a similar period of rest following an isolated abnormal- 19,particularlyamongthosewithunderlyingCVconditions,cardiacin- ity.Persistentlyelevatedtroponinlevelsshouldpromptdetailedchar- jury is common (>20% of cases).2,12,13 However, the pathogenesis of acterization of the myocardium with cardiac magnetic resonance COVID-19 cardiac injury is variable, with inconsistent evidence of di- imaging (CMR). In the absence of imaging findings consistent with rect myocyte viral invasion.14-16 In cases of mild or asymptomatic active myocardial inflammation,27 other systemic causes of el- COVID-19,theprevalenceandclinicalimplicationsofpathologicCVse- evated troponin must also be considered. Among athletes with per- quelae remain unknown. sistently elevated troponin levels but normal CMR, there are sev- Reportsofpresumptivemyocarditisamongseveralathleteswith eral considerations that should dictate clinical decision-making. high profiles have magnified concerns about COVID-19 CV se- Clinical presentations characterized by systemic and/or CV symp- quelae in athletes.6,7 Our combined experience suggests that most toms indicate a higher pretest probability of clinically relevant myo- athletes with COVID-19 are asymptomatic to mildly ill, and to date, carditis, thus favoring exercise restrictions for at least 3 months.28 RTP risk stratification has yielded few cases of relevant cardiac pa- In contrast, athletes with isolated hs-cTn level elevation but lower thology. However, we underscore that these observations may not pretest cardiac injury probability (because of asymptomatic or mild reflect the true prevalence and attendant prognosis of COVID-19 CV COVID-19 symptoms) may be considered for more rapid RTP, with involvement in athletes. close monitoring and gradual escalation of training intensification. The increased sensitivity of hs-cTn testing comes at the cost of re- Challenges in Determining If COVID-19 Myocardial Injury duced specificity for clinically relevant myocardial injury,which may Is Present in Athletes lead to unnecessarily prolonged exercise
Recommended publications
  • Sports Cardiology: Preventing Sudden Cardiac Death
    Downloaded from http://bjsm.bmj.com/ on January 20, 2016 - Published by group.bmj.com Warm up communities. Physicians responsible for the Sports cardiology: preventing sudden cardiovascular care of athletes should be knowledgeable in the physiological cardiac cardiac death adaptations to regular intense exercise (athlete’s heart); the conditions associated 1 2 3 Jonathan A Drezner, Sanjay Sharma, Mathew G Wilson with SCD in athletes; and ECG interpret- ation standards that distinguish common training-related findings in athletes from BMJ Heart The sudden death of an athlete on the specialty journal to highlight changes associated with pathological fi playing eld remains one of the most strik- key areas in sports cardiology to the cardiac disorders and the secondary investi- ing and tragic events in sport. For the broader cardiology community. gations necessary to properly evaluate ECG – sports physician, the occurrence of an abnormalities.6 8 As a reminder, a compre- athlete in sudden cardiac arrest is both ADVANCING THE SCIENCE OF hensive E-Learning course addressing these unforgettable and terrifying. Well-known CARDIAC SCREENING areas is freely available at http://learning. cases such as Hank Gathers (1990), This issue presents many original investiga- bmj.com/ECGathlete. BJSM, along with its Marc-Vivien Foé (2003) and Fabrice tions that advance the cardiovascular care of partner societies, will continue to empha- Muamba (2012), provide graphic exam- athletes. While a standardised personal and sise new research and education towards ples of an athlete enduring this deadly family history is widely recommended for the effective prevention of SCD in sport. crisis—collapsed and unresponsive, eyes cardiac screening in athletes, the actual rolled back, brief myoclonic seizure-like questionnaires utilised remain largely Competing interests None.
    [Show full text]
  • Review of COVID-19 Myocarditis in Competitive Athletes: Legitimate Concern Or Fake News?
    MINI REVIEW published: 14 July 2021 doi: 10.3389/fcvm.2021.684780 Review of COVID-19 Myocarditis in Competitive Athletes: Legitimate Concern or Fake News? Zulqarnain Khan 1*, Jonathan S. Na 1 and Scott Jerome 2 1 Department of Medicine, University of Maryland School of Medicine, Baltimore, MD, United States, 2 Division of Cardiovascular Medicine, Department of Medicine, University of Maryland School of Medicine, Baltimore, MD, United States Since the first reported case of COVID-19 in December 2019, the global landscape has shifted toward an unrecognizable paradigm. The sports world has not been immune to these ramifications; all major sports leagues have had abbreviated seasons, fan attendance has been eradicated, and athletes have opted out of entire seasons. For these athletes, cardiovascular complications of COVID-19 are particularly concerning, as myocarditis has been implicated in a significant portion of sudden cardiac death (SCD) in athletes (up to 22%). Multiple studies have attempted to evaluate post-COVID Edited by: myocarditis and develop consensus return-to-play (RTP) guidelines, which has led to Andrew F. James, conflicting information for internists and primary care doctors advising these athletes. University of Bristol, United Kingdom We aim to review the pathophysiology and diagnosis of viral myocarditis, discuss the Reviewed by: Bernhard Maisch, heterogeneity regarding incidence of COVID myocarditis among athletes, and summarize University of Marburg, Germany the current expert recommendations for RTP. The goal is to provide
    [Show full text]
  • Use of Multimodality Cardiovascular Imaging in Young Adult Competitive
    GUIDELINES AND STANDARDS Recommendations on the Use of Multimodality Cardiovascular Imaging in Young Adult Competitive Athletes: A Report from the American Society of Echocardiography in Collaboration with the Society of Cardiovascular Computed Tomography and the Society for Cardiovascular Magnetic Resonance Aaron L. Baggish, MD, (Chair), Robert W. Battle, MD, Timothy A. Beaver, MD, FASE, William L. Border, MBChB, MH, FASE, Pamela S. Douglas, MD, FASE, Christopher M. Kramer, MD, Matthew W. Martinez, MD, Jennifer H. Mercandetti, BS, RDCS (AE/PE), ACS, FASE, Dermot Phelan, MD, PhD, FASE, Tamanna K. Singh, MD, Rory B. Weiner, MD, FASE, and Eric Williamson, MD, Boston, Massachusetts; Charlottesville, Virginia; Kansas City, Kansas; Atlanta, Georgia; Durham and Charlotte, North Carolina; Morristown, New Jersey; Denver, Colorado; Cleveland, Ohio; Rochester, Minnesota Keywords: Athlete, Athlete’s heart, Pre-participation screening, Echocardiography, Cardiac computed tomography, Cardiac magnetic resonance In addition to the collaborating societies listed in the title, this document is endorsed by the following American Society of Echocardiography International Alliance Partners: Argentine Federation of Cardiology, Argentine Society of Cardiology, Asian-Pacific Association of Echocardiography, Australasian Sonographers Association, Brazilian Department of Cardiovascular Imaging, Canadian Society of Echocardiography, Cardiovascular and Thoracic Society of Southern Africa, Cardiovascular Imaging Society of the Interamerican Society of Cardiology,
    [Show full text]
  • Sports Cardiology David J
    Sports Cardiology David J. Engel • Dermot M. Phelan Editors Sports Cardiology Care of the Athletic Heart from the Clinic to the Sidelines Editors David J. Engel Dermot M. Phelan Division of Cardiology Sports Cardiology Center Columbia University Irving Medical Center Hypertrophic Cardiomyopathy Center New York, NY Atrium Health Sanger Heart & USA Vascular Institute Charlotte, NC USA ISBN 978-3-030-69383-1 ISBN 978-3-030-69384-8 (eBook) https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-030-69384-8 © Springer Nature Switzerland AG 2021 This work is subject to copyright. All rights are reserved by the Publisher, whether the whole or part of the material is concerned, specifcally the rights of translation, reprinting, reuse of illustrations, recitation, broadcasting, reproduction on microflms or in any other physical way, and transmission or information storage and retrieval, electronic adaptation, computer software, or by similar or dissimilar methodology now known or hereafter developed. The use of general descriptive names, registered names, trademarks, service marks, etc. in this publication does not imply, even in the absence of a specifc statement, that such names are exempt from the relevant protective laws and regulations and therefore free for general use. The publisher, the authors and the editors are safe to assume that the advice and information in this book are believed to be true and accurate at the date of publication. Neither the publisher nor the authors or the editors give a warranty, expressed or implied, with respect to the material contained herein or for any errors or omissions that may have been made. The publisher remains neutral with regard to jurisdictional claims in published maps and institutional affliations.
    [Show full text]
  • Exercise and Arrhythmogenic Right Ventricular Cardiomyopathy
    Heart, Lung and Circulation (2020) 29, 547–555 REVIEW 1443-9506/19/$36.00 https://doi.org/10.1016/j.hlc.2019.12.007 Exercise and Arrhythmogenic Right Ventricular Cardiomyopathy David Prior, MBBS, PhD a,b,*, Andre La Gerche, MBBS, PhD a,c aNational Centre for Sports Cardiology, St Vincent’s Hospital, Melbourne, Vic, Australia bDepartment of Medicine, University of Melbourne at St Vincent’s Hospital (Melbourne), Melbourne, Vic, Australia cBaker Heart & Diabetes Institute, Melbourne, Vic, Australia Received 5 November 2019; received in revised form 8 December 2019; accepted 10 December 2019; online published-ahead-of-print 26 December 2019 Arrhythmogenic right ventricular cardiomyopathy (ARVC) is a group of cardiomyopathies associated with ventricular arrhythmias predominantly arising from the right ventricle, sudden cardiac death and right ventricular failure, caused largely due to inherited mutations in proteins of the desmosomal complex. Whilst long recognised as a cause of sudden cardiac death (SCD) during exercise, it has recently been recognised that intense and prolonged exercise can worsen the disease resulting in earlier and more severe phenotypic expression. Changes in cardiac structure and function as a result of exercise training also pose challenges with diagnosis as enlargement of the right ventricle is commonly seen in endurance athletes. Advice regarding restriction of exercise is an important part of patient management, not only of those with established disease, but also in individuals known to carry gene mutations associated with development of ARVC. Keywords Arrhythmogenic Cardiomyopathy Exercise ARVC Genetics Introduction that athletic training can accelerate the progression of the disease [2–4] and also that excessive endurance exercise may The term arrhythmogenic cardiomyopathy encompasses a be a cause of an ARVC-like phenotype, even in the absence group of cardiomyopathies with a similar phenotype and a of genetic abnormalities known to be associated with ARVC tendency to ventricular arrhythmias accompanying or pre- [5–8].
    [Show full text]
  • Current Perspectives on Cardiovascular Screening for Athletes
    Current Perspectives on Cardiovascular Screening for Athletes Mustafa Husaini, MD* (@husainim), Jonathan A. Drezner, MD^ (@DreznerJon) From the * Department of Medicine, Cardiovascular Division, Washington University School of Medicine, St. Louis Missouri and ^Department of Family Medicine and Center for Sports Cardiology, University of Washington, Seattle, Washington, United States of America Word Count: 1116 (not including references) Address for Correspondence Jonathan A. Drezner, MD Center for Sports Cardiology 3800 Montlake Blvd. NE University of Washington, Box 354060 Seattle, WA 98195 Phone: 206-598-3294 E-mail: [email protected] Introduction Sudden cardiac arrest (SCA) remains the leading cause of fatalities in athletes and young adults during sports and exercise.1,2 In view of the devastating effects of premature SCA or death in a young athlete, cardiovascular screening for the early detection of potentially lethal disorders is compelling on both ethical and medical grounds.3 The primary goal of cardiovascular screening is to identify cardiac disorders predisposing to SCA with the intent of mitigating risk through individualized, patient-centered and disease-specific management4. Indeed, most major medical organizations and sports governing bodies support cardiovascular screening prior to participation in competitive sports.3-6 However, considerable controversy exists regarding the most effective and feasible method for cardiovascular screening, and specifically whether a resting 12-lead electrocardiogram (ECG) should be routinely added to a history and physical examination (H&P). In adopting a cardiovascular screening program, careful consideration should be given to the risk of SCA within the targeted athlete population, the potential benefits and limitations of the different screening tests, and the availably of sports cardiology expertise and infrastructure.4 Our aim is to update this discussion with a review of recent developments in the cardiovascular screening of athletes.
    [Show full text]
  • Sports Cardiology at the Heart & Vascular Institute
    pulseTHE SPRING 2015 The Physicians' Quarterly Newsletter of the Heart & Vascular Institute SPORTS CARDIOLOGY AT THE HEART & VAscULAR INSTITUTE 45-year-old man was making plans to evaluated by their primary care physicians for physically intense sports such as basketball, fulfill his lifelong dream of climbing the appropriate type of exercise programs.” soccer and football. The most common cause A the Himalayas and sought medical of this devastating event is hypertrophic advice from Dr. David Hsi, Chief of Cardiology “I consider it prudent to perform cardiac cardiomyopathy, which can be identified and Co-Director of Stamford Hospital’s Heart & screenings that include ECG on most at-risk through cardiac screening. Vascular Institute (HVI). The active gentleman, adults who want to exercise,” Dr. Hsi continued. who was also a physician, had a history of “Cardiac screenings can identify and prevent “Sports cardiologists have an obligation hypertension, high cholesterol and abnormal heart problems before they become serious to reassure people at low risk for cardiac echocardiogram (ECG) and was concerned and can unmask problems that haven’t disease that they avoid excessive testing and about the risk that such a rigorous, high-altitude surfaced yet.” provide guidance to high-risk patients to exertion may have on his heart. Dr. Hsi, who prevent serious cardiac events,” said Dr. Hsi. Many healthy adults who participate in at the time was Chair of the Department “As a general rule, adults with known health endurance sports such as long-distance of Cardiology at the Deborah Heart and risks should be screened before they begin running, cycling, rowing and swimming Lung Center in New Jersey, performed a exercising.
    [Show full text]
  • Eligibility and Disqualification Recommendations for Competitive
    JOURNAL OF THE AMERICAN COLLEGE OF CARDIOLOGY VOL. - ,NO.- ,2015 ª 2015 BY THE AMERICAN HEART ASSOCIATION, INC. AND ISSN 0735-1097/$36.00 THE AMERICAN COLLEGE OF CARDIOLOGY FOUNDATION http://dx.doi.org/10.1016/j.jacc.2015.09.032 PUBLISHED BY ELSEVIER INC. AHA/ACC SCIENTIFIC STATEMENT Eligibility and Disqualification Recommendations for Competitive Athletes With Cardiovascular Abnormalities: Preamble, Principles, and General Considerations A Scientific Statement From the American Heart Association and American College of Cardiology Barry J. Maron, MD, FACC, Co-Chair* Douglas P. Zipes, MD, FAHA, MACC, Richard J. Kovacs, MD, FAHA, FACC, Co-Chair* Co-Chair* This document addresses medical issues related to to the practicing community for clinical decision trained athletes with cardiovascular abnormalities. making. The ultimate goal is prevention of sudden The objective is to present, in a readily useable death in the young, although it is also important not format, consensus recommendations and guidelines to unfairly or unnecessarily remove people from a principally addressing criteria for eligibility and healthy athletic lifestyle or competitive sports (that disqualification from organized competitive sports for may be physiologically and psychologically inter- the purpose of ensuring the health and safety of twined with good quality of life and medical well- young athletes. Recognizing certain medical risks being) because of fear of litigation. It is our goal that imposed on athletes with cardiovascular disease, it the recommendations in this document, together is our aspiration that the recommendations that with sound clinical judgment, will lead to a healthier, constitute this document will serve as a useful guide safer playing field for young competitive athletes.
    [Show full text]
  • Focal Myocarditis After Mild COVID-19 Infection in Athletes
    diagnostics Case Report Focal Myocarditis after Mild COVID-19 Infection in Athletes Ivana P. Nedeljkovic 1,2,* , Vojislav Giga 1,2, Marina Ostojic 2 , Ana Djordjevic-Dikic 1,2, Tamara Stojmenovic 3,4, Ivan Nikolic 3, Nenad Dikic 3,4 , Olga Nedeljkovic-Arsenovic 1,5, Ruzica Maksimovic 1,5, Milan Dobric 1,2 , Nebojsa Mujovic 1,2 and Branko Beleslin 1,2 1 School of Medicine, University of Belgrade, 11000 Belgrade, Serbia; [email protected] (V.G.); [email protected] (A.D.-D.); [email protected] (O.N.-A.); [email protected] (R.M.); [email protected] (M.D.); [email protected] (N.M.); [email protected] (B.B.) 2 Cardiology Department, University Clinical Center of Serbia, 11000 Belgrade, Serbia; [email protected] 3 Private Practice for Sports Medicine “Vita Maxima”, 11030 Belgrade, Serbia; [email protected] (T.S.); [email protected] (I.N.); [email protected] (N.D.) 4 Faculty of Physical Culture and Sports Management, Singidunum University, 11000 Belgrade, Serbia 5 Radiology and MRI Department, University Clinical Center of Serbia, 11000 Belgrade, Serbia * Correspondence: [email protected]; Tel.: +381-632-326-96 Abstract: COVID-19 infection in athletes usually has a milder course, but in the case of complications, myocarditis and even sudden cardiac death may occur. We examined an athlete who felt symptoms upon returning to training after asymptomatic COVID-19 infection. Physical, laboratory, and echocar- diography findings were normal. The cardiopulmonary exercise test was interrupted at submaximal effort due to severe dyspnea in the presence of reduced functional capacity in comparison to previous Citation: Nedeljkovic, I.P.; Giga, V.; tests.
    [Show full text]
  • Exercise Recommendations for the Athlete with Coronary Artery Disease Prashant Rao, MD1,2 David Shipon, MD, FACC, FACP3,*
    Curr Treat Options Cardio Med (2019) 21: 82 DOI 10.1007/s11936-019-0795-3 Sports Cardiology (M Wasfy, Section Editor) Exercise Recommendations for the Athlete With Coronary Artery Disease Prashant Rao, MD1,2 David Shipon, MD, FACC, FACP3,* Address 1Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center, Boston, MA, USA 2Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA, USA *,3Thomas Jefferson University Hospital, Philadelphia, PA, USA Email: [email protected] Published online: 9 December 2019 * Springer Science+Business Media, LLC, part of Springer Nature 2019 This article is part of the Topical Collection on Sports Cardiology Keywords Coronary artery disease I Exercise I Athletes I Sports cardiology Abstract Purpose of the review We provide a framework for formulating exercise prescriptions for those with CAD in order to achieve the “optimal” dose of exercise for each individual. Recent findings Multiple epidemiological studies demonstrate that exercise is inversely asso- ciated with atherosclerotic coronary artery disease (CAD), yet the risk of an acute coronary event is transiently elevated during vigorous exercise. In turn, CAD is the most common cause of exercise-related sudden cardiac death (SCD) in older athletes. When prescribing exercise recommendations for athletes with CAD, we should maintain equipoise between the benefits derived from sports participation and the risk of an adverse cardiac event. Summary Athletes are not immune from atherosclerotic CAD, and we should perform risk assessments regardless of physical and athletic prowess. Cardiopulmonary exercise testing may be a useful tool to develop individualized exercise regimens for athletes with CAD. Introduction It is well established that exercise is important for opti- exercise for optimal health [4].
    [Show full text]
  • Endurance Exercise and Atrial Fibrillation – Endurance Exercise and Atrial Fibrillation – a State of the Art Review
    Review Sareban M 1, Guasch E², Mont L2, Niebauer J 1 ACCEPTED: September 2020 PUBLISHED ONLINE: October 2020 Sareban M, Guasch E, Mont L, Niebauer J. Endurance Exercise and Atrial Fibrillation – Endurance exercise and atrial fibrillation – a state of the art review. Dtsch Z Sportmed. 2020; 71: 236-242. A State of the Art Review doi:10.5960/dzsm.2020.462 Ausdauersport und Vorhofflimmern – Eine aktuelle Übersicht 1. PARACELSUS MEDICAL UNIVERSITY Summary Zusammenfassung SALZBURG, University Institute of Sports Medicine, Prevention and › Increasing physical activity has convincingly shown to › Eine Steigerung der körperlichen Aktivität steht in enger Rehabilitation and Research Institute reduce the risk of atrial fibrillation (AF). However, decades of Verbindung mit der Reduktion des Risikos für Vorhofflimmern of Molecular Sports Medicine and repetitive bouts of prolonged and vigorous endurance exercise (VHF). Eine Vielzahl an Publikationen deutete in den letzten Rehabilitation, Salzburg, Austria have recently emerged as a risk factor for AF in middle-aged male Jahren jedoch darauf hin, dass lange und intensive Ausdauerbe- 2. UNIVERSTIY OF BARCELONA, Hospital athletes. lastungen über mehre Jahrzehnte das Risiko für Vorhofflimmern Clinic, Unit of Arrhytmia, › The pathophysiology Cardiovascular Institute, IDIBAPS; underlying this relation poses a puzzling bei Männern im mittleren Lebensabschnitt erhöhen. CIBERCV, Barcelona, Spain question with multiple hypothesized mechanisms, which proba- › Die dieser Assoziation zugrundeliegende Pathophysiologie bly in combination create the necessary substrate and trigger for ist nicht abschließend geklärt und unterschiedliche Mecha- AF onset. Adaptive atrial changes secondary to long-standing nismen werden diskutiert, welche vermutlich in Kombination endurance training as part of the “athlete’s heart” add special das notwendige Substrat und den Auslöser für VHF bilden.
    [Show full text]
  • Atrial Fibrillation (AF) in Endurance Athletes: a Complicated Affair
    Curr Treat Options Cardio Med (2018) 20: 98 DOI 10.1007/s11936-018-0697-9 Sports Cardiology (M Papadakis, Section Editor) Atrial Fibrillation (AF) in Endurance Athletes: aComplicatedAffair Dimitrios Stergiou, MD1 Edward Duncan, PhD1,2,* Address 1MSc Sports Cardiology, Cardiology Clinical Academic Group, St George’s, Univer- sity of London, London, UK *,2Department of Cardiology, The Bristol Heart Institute, Bristol, UK Email: [email protected] Published online: 26 October 2018 * The Author(s) 2018 This article is part of the Topical Collection on Sports Cardiology Keywords Athletes I Atrial fibrillation I Exercise I Endurance Abstract Purpose of review A complex relationship exists between exercise and atrial fibrillation (AF). Moderate exercise reduces AF risk whereas intense strenuous exercise has been shown to increase AF burden. It remains unclear at which point exercise may become detrimental. Overall, endurance athletes remain at lower cardiovascular risk and experi- ence fewer strokes. The questions that arise therefore are whether AF is an acceptable byproduct of strenuous exercise, whether athletes who experience AF should be told to reduce exercise volume and how should they be managed. This review aims to critically review the literature and advise on how best to manage athletes with AF. Recent findings Emerging evidence suggests that female athletes may exhibit lower risk of AF, but data is limited in female endurance athletes. Summary AF is more prevalent in endurance athletes, particularly men and those who competed at a young age. Data is lacking in females and ethnic minorities. Current evidence suggests that treatment options for AF in athletes are similar to those used in the general population; however, medical therapy may be poorly tolerated.
    [Show full text]