Triathlon & Endurance Sports
Increasing physical activity has convincingly shown to reduce the risk of atrial fibrillation (AF). However, decades of repetitive bouts of prolonged and vigorous endurance exercise have recently emerged as a risk factor for AF in middle-aged male athletes. The pathophysiology underlying this relati...
| Main Authors: | , , , |
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| Format: | Article |
| Language: | deu |
| Published: |
Dynamic Media Sales Verlag
2020-10-01
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| Series: | Deutsche Zeitschrift für Sportmedizin |
| Online Access: | https://www.germanjournalsportsmedicine.com/archive/archive-2020/issue-10/endurance-exercise-and-atrial-fibrillation-a-state-of-the-art-review/ |
| _version_ | 1797787707144929280 |
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| author | Sareban M Guasch E Mont L Niebauer J |
| author_facet | Sareban M Guasch E Mont L Niebauer J |
| author_sort | Sareban M |
| collection | DOAJ |
| description | Increasing physical activity has convincingly shown to reduce the risk of atrial fibrillation (AF). However, decades of repetitive bouts of prolonged and vigorous endurance exercise have recently emerged as a risk factor for AF in middle-aged male athletes. The pathophysiology underlying this relation poses a puzzling question with multiple hypothesized mechanisms, which probably in combination create the necessary substrate and trigger for AF onset. Adaptive atrial changes secondary to long-standing endurance training as part of the athletes heart add special considerations as they build a grey zone of diagnostic uncertainty with atrial changes seen in individuals with AF. Evolving functional diagnostic modalities may re-shape this diagnostic grey zone and facilitate diagnostic workup. Initiating management of AF requires documentation of an AF episode, which can be challenging in athletes as it usually occurs intermittent. New wearable devices hold promise to facilitate early documentation and follow-up, but their diagnostic reliability still has to be established, especially during exercise. When counseling competitive athletes and highly active people regarding treatment options of AF, special considerations should be taken into account to reduce risk associated with AF but also sustain the numerous health benefits of regular exercise and the lifestyle of being a competitive endurance athlete. This narrative, state of the art review aims to describe the association between AF and endurance athletes including current findings and mechanistic concepts and thereby giving an update on a highly relevant clinical topic in sports medicine.Key Words: Arrhythmia, Physical Activity, Master Athlete, Athletes Heart, Prolonged Exercise |
| first_indexed | 2024-03-13T01:25:38Z |
| format | Article |
| id | doaj.art-d258a135b14b4f65974055404c30eda5 |
| institution | Directory Open Access Journal |
| issn | 0344-5925 2510-5264 |
| language | deu |
| last_indexed | 2024-03-13T01:25:38Z |
| publishDate | 2020-10-01 |
| publisher | Dynamic Media Sales Verlag |
| record_format | Article |
| series | Deutsche Zeitschrift für Sportmedizin |
| spelling | doaj.art-d258a135b14b4f65974055404c30eda52023-07-04T17:04:29ZdeuDynamic Media Sales VerlagDeutsche Zeitschrift für Sportmedizin0344-59252510-52642020-10-01711010.5960/dzsm.2020.462308617Triathlon & Endurance SportsSareban MGuasch EMont LNiebauer JIncreasing physical activity has convincingly shown to reduce the risk of atrial fibrillation (AF). However, decades of repetitive bouts of prolonged and vigorous endurance exercise have recently emerged as a risk factor for AF in middle-aged male athletes. The pathophysiology underlying this relation poses a puzzling question with multiple hypothesized mechanisms, which probably in combination create the necessary substrate and trigger for AF onset. Adaptive atrial changes secondary to long-standing endurance training as part of the athletes heart add special considerations as they build a grey zone of diagnostic uncertainty with atrial changes seen in individuals with AF. Evolving functional diagnostic modalities may re-shape this diagnostic grey zone and facilitate diagnostic workup. Initiating management of AF requires documentation of an AF episode, which can be challenging in athletes as it usually occurs intermittent. New wearable devices hold promise to facilitate early documentation and follow-up, but their diagnostic reliability still has to be established, especially during exercise. When counseling competitive athletes and highly active people regarding treatment options of AF, special considerations should be taken into account to reduce risk associated with AF but also sustain the numerous health benefits of regular exercise and the lifestyle of being a competitive endurance athlete. This narrative, state of the art review aims to describe the association between AF and endurance athletes including current findings and mechanistic concepts and thereby giving an update on a highly relevant clinical topic in sports medicine.Key Words: Arrhythmia, Physical Activity, Master Athlete, Athletes Heart, Prolonged Exercisehttps://www.germanjournalsportsmedicine.com/archive/archive-2020/issue-10/endurance-exercise-and-atrial-fibrillation-a-state-of-the-art-review/ |
| spellingShingle | Sareban M Guasch E Mont L Niebauer J Triathlon & Endurance Sports Deutsche Zeitschrift für Sportmedizin |
| title | Triathlon & Endurance Sports |
| title_full | Triathlon & Endurance Sports |
| title_fullStr | Triathlon & Endurance Sports |
| title_full_unstemmed | Triathlon & Endurance Sports |
| title_short | Triathlon & Endurance Sports |
| title_sort | triathlon amp endurance sports |
| url | https://www.germanjournalsportsmedicine.com/archive/archive-2020/issue-10/endurance-exercise-and-atrial-fibrillation-a-state-of-the-art-review/ |
| work_keys_str_mv | AT sarebanm triathlonampendurancesports AT guasche triathlonampendurancesports AT montl triathlonampendurancesports AT niebauerj triathlonampendurancesports |