Study of the Right Heart of High-Level African Adult Athletes: Electrocardiographic and Echocardiographic Aspects

Abstract

Despite the growing interest in athlete’s right ventricle and various work carried out, many uncertainties are remaining. The interest of this work resides in the determination of the particularity in right heart of the black athlete subject. We conducted a prospective study from August to October 2016 in the cardiology department of Aristide Le Dantec University Hospital in Dakar. The included patients were divided according to the sporting practice as enduring, resistant and non-athletes. The parameters studied were electrocardiographic (atrial or ventricular hypertrophies), echocardiographic: dimensions of the right cavities, systolic and diastolic functions of the right ventricle. We included 58 subjects: 38 athletes including 28 endurance and 10 resistance and 20 non-athletes. The average age of the endurance athletes was 21.9 ± 3, 75 years, 26.30 ± 4.64 in resistance ones and 24.10 ± 1.89 in the non-athletic group. Two cases of first-degree atrioventricular block were recorded in athletes. On the echocardiographic point, the atrium surfaces, as well as the transverse diameter, were greater in athletes, especially in the endurance group. The mean diameters of the admission chamber and those of the right ventricular flush chamber were larger in the group of endurance athletes. It was the same for the annular and sagittal basal mean diameters of the RV as well as the RV/LV ratio. The anterior wall of the right ventricle was larger in athletes compared to non-athletes. The vena cava was greater in athletes, the pulmonary arterial pressure higher in resistance ones.