Atrial cardiomyopathy in endurance athletes.
Level 5 - mechanism / opinion, no new human data
Narrative review of existing literature without primary data or systematic search methodology.
PubMed 41775865 · doi:10.1038/s44325-024-00032-8
What was done
This narrative review synthesized current literature regarding the clinical features, underlying causes, and clinical consequences of atrial cardiomyopathy in endurance athletes.
What was found
The abstract provides no numerical data or effect sizes. It qualitatively summarizes common left atrial findings in endurance athletes, including enlarged left atrial volume, reduced left atrioventricular volume ratios, mildly reduced left atrial strain, possible mild fibrosis, prolonged P-wave duration, and elevated atrial ectopic activity.
Why it matters
Clarifying the distinction between benign exercise-induced remodeling and pathological atrial cardiomyopathy is critical for assessing arrhythmia risk, particularly atrial fibrillation, and guiding clinical management in endurance athletes.
Limits
The paper is a narrative review that reports no original empirical data, quantitative synthesis, or systematic search criteria. The abstract provides no sample sizes, effect magnitudes, or diagnostic cutoff values.
Cited by
- context Studies by Guido Claessen and André La Gerche show that during exercise, increased heart rate and closed-valve time cause atrial dilation due to blood damming, which increases the risk of atrial fibrillation.