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Arrhythmias in the athlete

Arrhythmien bei Sportlern

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Herzschrittmachertherapie + Elektrophysiologie Aims and scope Submit manuscript

Abstract

Regular exercise provides substantial health benefits, mostly by reducing cardiovascular risk factors. However, it may also trigger acute cardiac events and cause sudden cardiac death in individuals with a pre-existing condition. In an otherwise healthy population, intense regular exercise may lead to morphological and electrical cardiac adaptations commonly referred as “athlete’s heart.” Recent data suggest that this may itself produce structural changes of atrial and ventricular myocardium with enlargement and fibrosis, creating the substrate for development of arrhythmias in apparently healthy athletes. The state of the art in this controversial issue is reviewed.

Zusammenfassung

Regelmäßiges Training nutzt der Gesundheit wesentlich, in erster Linie durch Verminderung kardiovaskulärer Risikofaktoren. Es kann jedoch auch akute kardiale Ereignisse auslösen und einen plötzlichen Herztod bei Personen mit vorbestehender Erkrankung verursachen. In einer ansonsten gesunden Population kann regelmäßiges Training zu morphologischen und elektrischen Adaptationen des Herzens führen, gemeinhin „Sportlerherz“ genannt. Neuere Daten weisen darauf hin, dass dieses per se zu strukturellen Änderungen des Vorhof- und Ventrikelmyokards mit Vergrößerung und Fibrose führen und so das Substrat für die Entwicklung von Arrhythmien bei scheinbar gesunden Sportlern bilden kann. Es wird eine Übersicht über den Stand der Dinge bei diesem kontrovers diskutierten Problem gegeben.

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Conflict of interest

On behalf of all authors, the corresponding author states that there are no conflicts of interest.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Arrhythmia Section, Cardiology Department, Thorax Institute, Hospital Clínic, Universitat de Barcelona, Villarroel 170, 08036, Barcelona, Catalonia, Spain

    F. Bisbal & L. Mont MD, PhD

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  1. F. Bisbal
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  2. L. Mont MD, PhD
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Correspondence to L. Mont MD, PhD.

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Bisbal, F., Mont, L. Arrhythmias in the athlete. Herzschr. Elektrophys. 23, 76–81 (2012). https://doi.org/10.1007/s00399-012-0182-1

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