TY - JOUR T1 - Noninvasive predictors of cardiac arrhythmias in bodybuilders JO - Revista Portuguesa de Cardiologia (English edition) T2 - AU - Mert,Kadir Uğur AU - İlgüy,Serdar AU - Mert,Gurbet Özge AU - Dural,Muhammet AU - Iskenderov,Kemal SN - 08702551 M3 - 10.1016/j.repc.2018.01.010 DO - 10.1016/j.repc.2018.01.010 UR - https://www.revportcardiol.org/pt-noninvasive-predictors-cardiac-arrhythmias-in-articulo-S0870255117303803 AB - Introduction and ObjectiveArrhythmias are often recorded in strength training athletes without cardiovascular abnormalities but may also be a sign of an underlying cardiovascular disease which carries a risk of sudden cardiac death (SCD). Nowadays, bodybuilding is a popular sport among adolescents and young adults. There have been few studies of arrhythmias comparing bodybuilders with healthy controls and excluding anabolic steroid use. We aimed to assess the structural, functional and electrical characteristics of bodybuilders’ hearts compared with control subjects. MethodsIn this study, we assessed 35 male competitive bodybuilders and 35 healthy control subjects matched for age, gender, and body mass index. A detailed cardiovascular and systemic examination was performed at the beginning of the study to collect demographic data and anthropometric measures. Biochemical and hematologic, echocardiographic, 24-h Holter, and ECG measurements were obtained from all participants. ResultsVentricular arrhythmias were encountered significantly more frequently in bodybuilders than in the control group. QT and QTc were not significantly different between groups. Tp-e interval, Tp-e/QT ratio, and Tp-e/QTc ratio were significantly greater in bodybuilders than in the control group (p<0.001 for all). There was a positive correlation between Tp-e interval, Tp-e/QT ratio, and Tp-e/QTc ratio and right ventricular (RV) diameter and arrhythmias. ConclusionProlonged repolarization is common in athletes, although its predictive value is unclear. In this study, alterations in ventricular repolarization were positively correlated with RV dimensions. Therefore, we postulate that arrhythmias in strength athletes may be predicted by assessing the right ventricle echocardiographically and dispersions of repolarization on the ECG, and that SCD could be avoided in strength athletes by careful application of this information. ER -