Reverse Cardiac Remodeling Among Elite Athletes After Short and Long-term Detraining

NCT05555849 | Completed DMC

• 1 other identifier: H-21043707
• Study Type: observational
• Target: 50
• Locations: 1 country
• Sites: 1

Brief Summary

Exercise has many well-documented effects in the prevention or treatment of disease, but recently some studies have raised awareness of the possible negative effects of too much exercise. In former elite endurance athletes, an increased risk of cardiac fibrosis and arrhythmias have been described. Whether exercise itself is the culprit remains to be explored. The right cardiac ventricle can be overloaded during long-term intense exercise, due to increased volume load and possibly an increased afterload. In a subgroub of athletes the appearance with morphological and functional changes resembling an ARVC like phenotype. Furthermore, atrial fibrillation among male middle-aged athletes is up to 5 times more common compared to age-matched non-athletes. The working hypothesis of this study is that male athletes remodel more than females and that some of thise changes are already measureable early after end of elite sporting carreer. In this prospective cohort study, of 50 elite athletes at retirement, after 3 months and thereafter yearly for five years, to determine the characteristics of remodeling of the heart focusing on the left atrial and right ventricle.

Conditions

Athlete Heart; Arrhythmias, Cardiac

Outcome Measures

Primary Outcomes (1)

• Left atrial minimum volume

  Primary endpoint The primary aim is to assess the long-term effect on remodeling of left atrium size measured by 2D echocardiography • Primary endpoint: Change in LA minimum volume (mL)

  5 years

Study Arms (1)

Study group, Newly retired elite athletes

Elite athletes at the time of retirement of professional career. Reinvestigated after three months and thereafter yearly.

Eligibility Criteria

• Age: 18 Years+
• Gender Eligibility Details: Self representation of gender identity
• Healthy Volunteers: No
• Age Groups: Adult (18-64), Older Adult (65+)
• Sampling Method: Non-Probability Sample

Study Population

Healthy danish elite athletes over the age of 18, who recently retired from elitesports.

You may qualify if:

• ≥18 years at the time of screening
• Former elite athlete from endurance sport discipline
• End of elite sporting career \>1 year ago

You may not qualify if:

• Any known cardiac disease
• Any condition (eg, psychiatric illness) or situation that, in the investigator's opinion, could impose the subject at significant risk, or interfere significantly with the subject's participation in the study.

Sponsors & Collaborators

• Bispebjerg Hospital: lead
• Rigshospitalet, Denmark: collaborator

Study Sites (1)

Bispebjerg-Frederiksberg Hospital

Copenhagen, Copenhagen, 2000, Denmark

Location

Related Publications (1)

• Aaroee M, Tischer SG, Christensen R, Sajadieh A, Dall CH, Thune JJ, Rasmusen H. Long-term left atrial adaptations to reduced training load in former elite athletes: a long-term follow-up longitudinal observational study. BMJ Open Sport Exerc Med. 2025 Apr 3;11(2):e002379. doi: 10.1136/bmjsem-2024-002379. eCollection 2025.

  PMID: 40191843 DERIVED

MeSH Terms

Conditions

Arrhythmias, Cardiac

Condition Hierarchy (Ancestors)

Heart Diseases; Cardiovascular Diseases; Pathologic Processes; Pathological Conditions, Signs and Symptoms

Study Officials

• Hanne K Rasmusen, ph.d.

  Bispebjerg Hospital

  PRINCIPAL INVESTIGATOR

Study Design

• Study Type: observational
• Observational Model: COHORT
• Time Perspective: PROSPECTIVE
• Sponsor Type: OTHER
• Responsible Party: PRINCIPAL INVESTIGATOR
• PI Title: Associate professor

Study Record Dates

• First Submitted: July 19, 2022
• First Posted: September 27, 2022
• Study Start: May 1, 2022
• Primary Completion: July 1, 2024
• Study Completion: July 1, 2024
• Last Updated: September 5, 2024

Record last verified: 2024-03

Data Sharing

• IPD Sharing: Will not share

Locations

DK (1)