Left ventricular size in competitive weight lifters

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Abstract
Ased left ventricular mass is present in athletes who predominantly perform isometric exercise, this study utilized echocardiograms (echo) from 13 nationally ranked weight lifters (WL) who engaged in isometric exercise while lifting. The thickness of the ventricular septum (VS), the thickness of the posterobasal free wall (LVFW), the diameter of the left ventricular cavity at end-systole (Ds) and end-diastole (Dd) were measured in the weight lifters, all of whom were free of cardiac disease. The findings were compared with 10 normal subjects (N), as well as nine patients with idiopathic hypertrophic subaortic stenosis (IHSS) and eight patients with asymmetric septal hypertrophy (ASH). The septal thickness of the weight lifters was higher than that of the normal subjects. Weight lifters resemble ASH and IHSS patients with an increased VS and a VS/LFVW ratio greater than 1.3. Although meeting the criteria for the diagnosis of hypertrophic cardiomyopathy (HCM), it is unlikely that the weight lifters had this disorder. Two measurements provide a means to separate weight lifters from patients with HCM. Septal thickness, normalized to body surface area (mm/M2), was normal in weight lifters (N=5.81 ±0.56; WL=6.81 ± 0.29; ASH=9.37±0.44; and IHSS= 10.37 ±0.48) and mass/volume ratio VS/Dd (N=0.21 ± 0.02; WL=0.28±0.01) was different from patients with ASH (VS/Dd = 0.40±0.01) or IHSS (0.48 ±0.02). Weight lifters had larger left ventricular cavities than patients with IHSS or ASH as expressed in ratios of VS/DS and VS/Dd. These data indicate that weight lifters have normal left ventricular mass/volume ratios, in spite of an increased septal/free wall ratio. ©1982The American College of Sports Medicine...

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