Abstract
It has been raised that marathon running may significantly impair cardiac performance. However, the post-race diastolic function has not been extensively analyzed. We aimed to assess whether the marathon run causes impairment of the cardiac diastole, which ventricle is mostly affected and whether the septal (IVS) function is altered. The study included 34 male amateur runners, in whom echocardiography was performed two weeks before, at the finish line and two weeks after the marathon. Biventricular diastolic function was assessed not only with conventional Doppler indices but also using the heart rate-adjusted isovolumetric relaxation time (IVRTc). After the run, IVRTc elongated dramatically at the right ventricular (RV) free wall, to a lesser extent at the IVS and remained unchanged at the left ventricular lateral wall. The post-run IVRTc_IVS correlated with IVRTc_RV (r = 0.38, p < 0.05), and IVRTc_RV was longer in subjects with IVS hypertrophy (88 vs. 51 ms; p < 0.05). Participants with measurable IVRT_RV at baseline (38% of runners) had longer post-race IVRTc_IVS (102 vs. 83 ms; p < 0.05). Marathon running influenced predominantly the RV diastolic function, and subjects with measurable IVRT_RV at baseline or those with IVS hypertrophy can experience greater post-race diastolic fatigue.
Highlights
There is increasing evidence that prolonged intense exercise, such as marathon running, can affect cardiac performance [1]
Our study revealed right ventricle (RV) diastolic dysfunction manifesting as the post-run prolonged relaxation, especially at the RV free wall and to a lesser degree at the IVS
isovolumic relaxation time (IVRT) assessment reveals the dramatic impairment of relaxation at the RV free wall, with concomitant alteration of the IVS
Summary
There is increasing evidence that prolonged intense exercise, such as marathon running, can affect cardiac performance [1]. This form of sports activity has gained popularity, but the question remains about its safety for amateur non-elite runners, who are often middle-aged [2]. In the presence of common septum and pericardium constraint, dysfunction of one ventricle affects the other in the process of ventricular interdependence. Apart from their dominant role in this interaction, the septal muscle fibers that obliquely bind both
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