Table 1.
Clinical, biological, and electrocardiographic characteristics of athletes and controls.
| Athletes | Controls | p | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Clinical data | n = 33 | n = 18 | |
| Age (Years) | 47 ± 6 | 49 ± 1 | 0,27,314 |
| Weight Kg | 72,8 ± 7,8 | 83,1 ± 14,4 | 0,00,724 |
| Height (m) | 176 ± 8 | 176 ± 8 | 0,79,842 |
| BMI (Kg/m²) | 23,4 ± 2,9 | 26,4 ± 3,2 | 0,00,117 |
| Training volume (h/week) | 9,6 ± 1,7 | 0 | – |
| Training history (Years) | 26,3 ± 6,1 | 0 | – |
| Cumulative exposure to training (h) | 13,168 ± 3858 | 0 | – |
| Maximal exercise test | |||
| Peak power output (W) | 270 ± 39 | 198 ± 43 | <0,0001 |
| Double product (mmHg.bpm/min) | 30,158 ± 3953 | 30,328 ± 1935 | 0,89,417 |
| Electrocardiogram parameters | |||
| Rest HR (bpm) | 56 ± 7 | 75 ± 11 | <0,0001 |
| PR interval (ms) | 172 ± 22 | 155 ± 16 | 0,00,754 |
| QRS duration (ms) | 91 ± 15 | 89 ± 8 | 0,46,588 |
| QTc (ms) | 411 ± 24 | 407 ± 26 | 0,53,782 |
| Sokolov index (mV) | 2,1 ± 0,8 | 1,7 ± 0,5 | 0,10,479 |
| complete RBBB (subjects) | 1 | 0 | 1 |
| Incomplete RBBB (subjects) | 11 | 1 | 0,03,613 |
| Early repolarisation (subjects) | 1 | 0 | 1 |
| Ventricular extrasystoly (subjects) | 2 | 1 | 1 |
| Left axis deviation | 0 | 1 | 0,36 |
| Inverted T-waves | 2 | 0 | 0,5298 |
| Circulating cardiac biomarkers | |||
| TnT (pg/l) | 0,01 ± 0 | 0,01 ± 0 | 0,58,206 |
| NT-proBNP (ng/l) | 42,7 ± 33 | 43 ± 41 | 0,98,605 |
| Circulating biomarkers of cardiac fibrosis | |||
| PINP (ng/ml) | 51,29 ± 12,56 | 50,98 ± 17,30 | 0,47,891 |
| PIIINP (ng/ml) | 70,59 ± 13,09 | 60,50 ± 17,52 | 0,10,327 |
Abbreviations: BMI: body mass index; TnT: high-sensitivity T troponin; NT pro BNP: N-terminal pro brain natriuretic peptide; PINP: N-terminal propeptide of procollagen type I; PIIINP: N-terminal propeptide of procollagen type III; HR: heart rate; QTc: corrected QT interval (Bazett formula); RBBB: right bundle branch block.