LA Size in Former Elite Athletes

A recent meta-analysis by Iskandar et al. (1) nicely showed that endurance athletes have larger left atrial (LA) diameters compared with control subjects. Yet only 9 of 54 studies included in their analysis reported LA volume values corrected for body surface area (BSA). In fact, few studies have determined LA volume in young athletes, and, to the best of our knowledge, no study has reported this variable in older athletes. This is an important question given the growing debate about the potential deleterious effects of long-term strenuous endurance exercise on the human heart, notably the higher risk of atrial fibrillation (AF), a condition for which both atrial dilation and the normal aging process are thought to be potential causative mechanisms (2). Thus, we aimed to assess the long-term consequences of endurance exercise on LA volume in athletes who were highly competitive at younger ages and are still active. To this end, we compared BSA-corrected LA volumes determined with late gadolinium enhancement magnetic resonance imaging (LGE-MRI) in former elite endurance athletes and sedentary control subjects.

Telomere length in elite athletes

Growing evidence suggests that regular, moderate-intensity physical activity is associated with an attenuation of leucocyte telomere length (LTL) shortening. However, more controversy exists regarding higher exercise loads, such as those imposed by elite sports participation. We have investigated LTL differences between young elite athletes (n=61, 54% men, aged [mean±SD] 27.2±4.9 years) and their healthy non-smoker, physically inactive controls (n=64, 52% men, 28.9±6.3 years) using analysis of variance (ANOVA). Elite athletes had, on average, higher LTL than controls subjects (0.89±0.26 vs 0.78±0.31, p=0.013 for the group effect, with no significant sex [p=0.995] or age effect [p=0.114]). Our results suggest that young elite athletes have longer telomeres than their inactive peers. Further research might assess the LTL of elite athletes of varying ages compared to both age-matched active and inactive individuals, respectively.

Blood and urinary abnormalities induced during and after 24-hour continuous running: A case report

In this reported clinical case, a healthy and well-trained male subject [aged 37 years, maximal oxygen uptake (V[Combining Dot Above]O2max) 64 mL·kg·min] ran for 23 hours and 35 minutes covering 160 km (6.7 km/h average running speed). The analysis of hematological and biochemical parameters 3 days before the event, just after termination of exercise, and after 24 and 48 hours of recovery revealed important changes on muscle and liver function, and hemolysis. The analysis of urine sediments showed an increment of red and white blood cells filtrations, compatible with transient nephritis. After 48 hours, most of these alterations were recovered. Physicians and health professionals who monitor such athletic events should be aware that these athletes could exhibit transient symptoms compatible with severe pathologies and diseases, although the genesis of these blood and urinary abnormalities are attributable to transient physiological adaptations rather to pathological status.