Table 1. Adjusted Weight, Blood Pressure, and Cardiovascular Structural and Functional Measurements Throughout Collegiate US Football Participation.
| Characteristic | Mean (SE) | P Valuea | End of Year 3, Mean (SE) | P Valueb | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Baseline (N = 126) | End of Year 1 | End of Year 2 | ||||
| Anthropometric measures | ||||||
| Weight, kg | 101.1 (1.0) | 102.1 (1.0) | 103.7 (1.0) | <.001 | 105.8 (1.1) | <.001 |
| BMI | 29.3 (0.3) | 29.6 (0.3) | 30.1 (0.3) | <.001 | 30.4 (0.3) | <.001 |
| Blood pressure | ||||||
| Systolic blood pressure, mm Hg | 129.2 (1.1) | 131.7 (1.1) | 133.2 (1.1) | .001 | 140.8 (1.6) | <.001 |
| Diastolic blood pressure, mm Hg | 76.4 (0.8) | 75.2 (0.8) | 75.6 (0.9) | .52 | 75.4 (1.2) | .50 |
| Heart rate, bpm | 75.9 (1.1) | 74.4 (1.1) | 75.1 (1.1) | .54 | 76 (1.6) | .97 |
| Cardiac structure and function | ||||||
| Mean LV wall thickness, mm | 8.9 (0.1) | 9.9 (0.1) | 10.3 (0.1) | <.001 | 12.3 (0.2) | <.001 |
| LV internal diameter end-diastole/body surface area, mm/m2 | 23.2 (0.2) | 23.5 (0.2) | 23.4 (0.2) | .06 | 23.7 (0.2) | .004 |
| LV internal diameter end systole/body surface area, mm/m2 | 14.9 (0.2) | 15.2 (0.2) | 15.2 (0.2) | .08 | 15.5 (0.2) | .02 |
| LV mass/body surface area, gm/m2 | 92.8 (1.1) | 101.4 (1.1) | 104.5 (1.0 | <.001 | 108.9 (1.5) | <.001 |
| Relative wall thickness | 0.35 (0.0) | 0.38 (0.0) | 0.39 (0.0) | <.001 | 0.39 (0.0) | <.001 |
| Ejection fraction, % | 61.5 (0.4) | 60.6 (0.4) | 60.8 (0.4) | .18 | 58.6 (0.7) | <.001 |
| Global longitudinal strain, % | 19.3 (0.2) | 19.1 (0.2) | 18.6 (0.2) | .005 | 18.4 (0.3) | .005 |
| Diastolic function measurements | ||||||
| E wave velocity, cm/s | 84.5 (1.3) | 82.2 (1.3) | 78.1(1.3) | <.001 | 75.5 (1.8) | <.001 |
| A wave velocity, cm/s | 46.1 (0.9) | 42.5 (0.9) | 44.1 (0.9) | .07 | 41.4 (1.4) | .002 |
| E wave velocity–A wave velocity ratio | 1.93 (0.0) | 2.0 (0.0) | 1.9 (0.0) | .29 | 1.9 (0.1) | .98 |
| Tissue-Doppler LV mean E′, cm/s | 15.8 (0.2) | 14.9 (0.2) | 14.6 (0.2) | <.001 | 14.1 (0.3) | <.001 |
| Arterial function | ||||||
| Pulse-wave velocity (m/s) | 5.1 (0.1) | 5.3 (0.1) | 5.5 (0.1) | <.001 | 5.3 (0.1) | .007 |
Abbreviations: BMI, body mass index (calculated as weight in kilograms divided by height in meters squared); bpm, beats per minute; LV, left ventricular.
a
Linear mixed model comparison of end of year 2 with baseline value adjusted for height, player position, and race.
b
Linear mixed model comparison of end of year 3 with baseline value adjusted for height, player position, and race; 55 US football athletes were analyzed at the end of year 3.