Standard ECG, Stress Testing

A1633JACC April 1, 2014

Volume 63, Issue 12

ArteriAL stiffness in nAtionAL coLLegiAte AthLetic AssociAtion division i AmericAn-styLe footBALL PLAyers

Moderated Poster ContributionsHall CSaturday, March 29, 2014, 10:15 a.m.-10:30 a.m.

Session Title: Novel Observations in AthletesAbstract Category: 27. Standard ECG, Stress Testing: ECG, Stress Testing, Sports and ExercisePresentation Number: 1132M-366B

Authors: Jonathan Kim, Ibhar Al Mheid, Mohammad Malekzadegan, Salman Sher, Jay Shoop, Angelo Galante, Byron Williams, Laurence Sperling, Rory Weiner, Aaron Baggish, Arshed Quyyumi, Emory University, Atlanta, GA, USA, Massachusetts General Hospital, Boston, MA, USA

Background: Pre-hypertension and hypertension are prevalent and develop longitudinally in collegiate American-style football (ASF) players. The presence of arterial stiffness in ASF players, however, has not been studied.

methods: 50 freshmen ASF players from 2 programs were analyzed in the pre-season and compared to a healthy cohort of undergraduates. Baseline demographic and anthropometric data were recorded. Applanation tonometry (SphygmoCor®) of the radial, carotid, and femoral arteries facilitated derivation of the subendocardial viability ratio (SEVR), a marker of myocardial perfusion and workload, and carotid-femoral aortic pulse wave velocity (PWV).

results: Control subjects (N = 50) were 19.2 ± 0.4 years old and 50% Caucasian, 50% African-American. ASF players were 18.5 ± 0.9 years old and 46% Caucasian, 54% African-American. ASF players were significantly taller, larger, and reported more weekly weight training (WT) compared to controls (height: 187 ± 7 vs. 178 ± 8 cm, body-mass index: 29.2 ± 4.4 vs. 23.7 ± 3.7 kg/m2, WT: 5.4 ± 2 vs. 2.4 ± 2.6 hours/week; p <0.05). Despite increased blood pressure measured in control subjects, PWV was significantly higher in ASF players (Figure 1). In addition, linemen (N = 20) demonstrated decreased SEVR compared to non-linemen players (N = 30).

conclusions: Arterial stiffness is present in pre-season collegiate ASF players compared to controls. Further longitudinal studies are warranted evaluating PWV and SEVR as predictors of hypertension in ASF players.