Download PDF
CC BY-NC-ND 4.0 · Int J Sports Med 2024; 45(05): 377-381
DOI: 10.1055/a-2252-1239
Training & Testing

Left Ventricular Hypertrophy in Male and Female Judo Athletes

Carlo Rossi 
1   Department of Psychology, Educational Science and Human Movement, University of Palermo, Palermo, Italy
2   Research and Innovation, Centro Medico di Fisioterapia “Villa Sarina”, 91011 Alcamo, Trapani, Italy
,
Roberto Roklicer
3   Faculty of Sport and Physical Education, University of Novi Sad, Novi Sad, Serbia
4   Faculty of Education, Free University of Bozen–Bolzano, 39042 Brixen–Bressanone, Italy, Free University of Bozen-Bolzano, Bolzano, Italy
,
Patrik Drid 
3   Faculty of Sport and Physical Education, University of Novi Sad, Novi Sad, Serbia
,
Aleksandra Milovancev 
5   Internal medicine, cardiology, University of Novi Sad Medical Faculty, Novi Sad, Serbia
6   Cardiology, Institute of Cardiovascular Diseases of Vojvodina, Sremska Kamenica, Serbia
,
Tatjana Trivic
3   Faculty of Sport and Physical Education, University of Novi Sad, Novi Sad, Serbia
,
Antonino Scardina
1   Department of Psychology, Educational Science and Human Movement, University of Palermo, Palermo, Italy
,
Attilio Carraro
4   Faculty of Education, Free University of Bozen–Bolzano, 39042 Brixen–Bressanone, Italy, Free University of Bozen-Bolzano, Bolzano, Italy
,
Antonino Bianco
1   Department of Psychology, Educational Science and Human Movement, University of Palermo, Palermo, Italy
› Author Affiliations
› Further Information
Also available at
   Permissions and Reprints

Abstract

Changes in cardiac geometry develop after intense and prolonged training. Left ventricular enlargement, increased relative wall thickness, and growing mass of the left ventricle occur after strenuous exercise. Combat sports such as judo can lead to left ventricular hypertrophy. Previous studies have found that there are differences in left ventricular chamber size and thickness between the sexes, with female athletes having smaller wall diameters and less hypertrophy than male athletes. The research aims to examine heart muscle adaptations and remodeling of cardiac geometry among elite judo athletes and to evaluate differences between males and females. A cross-sectional study included a group of 19 (males n=10, females n=9) professional judokas between 20 and 30 years. Demographic and anthropometric data were collected. Cardiac geometry was determined by two-dimensional transthoracic echocardiography. In terms of left ventricular mass and the left ventricular mass index significant differences were found between male and female judokas (233.44±68.75 g vs. 164.11±16.59 g, p=0.009), (105.16±24.89 vs. 84.66±15.06, p=0.044), respectively. A greater enlargement of the heart muscle is observed in male athletes compared to the female group. Left ventricle enlargement is likely to occur among elite-level judokas.

Keywords

cardiac remodeling - left ventricular geometry - combat sports - exercise - physical activity - athlete’s heart - martial arts


Publication History

Received: 26 June 2023

Accepted: 13 November 2023

Article published online:
24 February 2024

© 2024. The Author(s). This is an open access article published by Thieme under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution-NonDerivative-NonCommercial-License, permitting copying and reproduction so long as the original work is given appropriate credit. Contents may not be used for commercial purposes, or adapted, remixed, transformed or built upon. (https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-nd/4.0/).

Georg Thieme Verlag KG
Rüdigerstraße 14, 70469 Stuttgart, Germany

 

  • References

  • 1 Wu Q-Q, Xiao Y, Yuan Y. et al. Mechanisms contributing to cardiac remodelling. Clin Sci 2017; 131: 2319-2345
    CrossrefPubMedGoogle Scholar
  • 2 Kovacs R, Baggish AL. Cardiovascular adaptation in athletes. Trends Cardiovasc Med 2016; 26: 46-52
    CrossrefPubMedGoogle Scholar
  • 3 La Gerche A, Wasfy MM, Brosnan MJ. et al. The athlete’s heart—challenges and controversies: JACC focus seminar 4/4. J Am Coll Cardiol 2022; 80: 1346-1362
    CrossrefPubMedGoogle Scholar
  • 4 Kale NN, Wang CX, Wu VJ. et al. Age and female sex are important risk factors for stress fractures: a nationwide database analysis. Sports Health 2022; 14: 805-811
    CrossrefPubMedGoogle Scholar
  • 5 Mihl C, Dassen W, Kuipers H. Cardiac remodelling: concentric versus eccentric hypertrophy in strength and endurance athletes. Neth Heart J 2008; 16: 129-133
    CrossrefPubMedGoogle Scholar
  • 6 Maestrini V, Torlasco C, Hughes R. et al. Cardiovascular magnetic resonance and sport cardiology: a growing role in clinical dilemmas. J Cardiovasc Transl Res 2020; 13: 296-305
    CrossrefPubMedGoogle Scholar
  • 7 Maron BJ, Mitchell JH. Revised eligibility recommendations for competetive athletes with cardiovascular abnormalities. J Am Coll Cardiol 1994; 24: 848-850
    CrossrefPubMedGoogle Scholar
  • 8 Porras Alvarez J. Variabilidad de la Frecuencia Cardiaca, Lactatemia e IL-6 y su Relación con el Umbral de Potencia Funcional en Ciclistas de Competición Rev. Cienc de la Salud;. 2022
    PubMedGoogle Scholar
  • 9 Spirito P, Pelliccia A, Proschan MA. et al. Morphology of the “athlete's heart” assessed by echocardiography in 947 elite athletes representing 27 sports. Am J Cardiol 1994; 74: 802-806
    CrossrefPubMedGoogle Scholar
  • 10 Finocchiaro G, Dhutia H, D’Silva A. et al. Effect of sex and sporting discipline on LV adaptation to exercise. J Am Coll Cardiol: Cardiovascular Imaging 2017; 10: 965-972
    CrossrefPubMedGoogle Scholar
  • 11 Degoutte F, Jouanel P, Filaire E. Solicitation of protein metabolism during a judo match and recovery. Sci & Sports 2004; 19: 28-33
    PubMedGoogle Scholar
  • 12 Date H, Imamura T, Onitsuka H. et al. Differential increase in natriuretic peptides in elite dynamic and static athletes. Circ 2003; 67: 691-696
    PubMedGoogle Scholar
  • 13 Coelho P, Rocha HR, Rodrigues F. Study of the Electrocardiographic Profile in Judokas. ISJH 2022; 1: 54-69
    PubMedGoogle Scholar
  • 14 Sharma S, Maron BJ, Whyte G. et al. Physiologic limits of left ventricular hypertrophy in elite junior athletes: relevance to differential diagnosis of athlete’s heart and hypertrophic cardiomyopathy. J Am Coll Cardiol 2002; 40: 1431-1436
    CrossrefPubMedGoogle Scholar
  • 15 Pelliccia A, Maron BJ, Culasso F. et al. Athlete’s heart in women: echocardiographic characterization of highly trained elite female athletes. JAMA 1996; 276: 211-215
    CrossrefPubMedGoogle Scholar
  • 16 Lang RM, Badano LP, Mor-Avi V. et al. Recommendations for cardiac chamber quantification by echocardiography in adults: an update from the American Society of Echocardiography and the European Association of Cardiovascular Imaging. Eur Heart J Cardiovasc Imaging 2015; 16: 233-271
    CrossrefPubMedGoogle Scholar
  • 17 Slankamenac J, Milovancev A, Klasnja A. et al. Echocardiographic Characterization of Left Heart Morphology and Function in Highly Trained Male Judo Athletes. Int J Environ Res Public Health 2022; 19
    PubMedGoogle Scholar
  • 18 Milovancev A, Petrovic M, Miljkovic T. et al. The elite judo female athlete’s heart. Front Physiol 2022; 13: 990142
    CrossrefPubMedGoogle Scholar
  • 19 Chumakova O, Isaeva M, Drobyazko O. et al Left ventricular remodelling in a large cohort of strength competitive athletes: not so common and differs by sex. EJPC 2021; 28: zwab061 372
    PubMedGoogle Scholar
  • 20 Utomi V, Oxborough D, Ashley E. et al. Predominance of normal left ventricular geometry in the male ‘athlete's heart’. Heart 2014; 100: 1264-1271
    CrossrefPubMedGoogle Scholar
  • 21 Whyte G, George K, Sharma S. et al. Left ventricular structure and function in elite judo players.. 2000
    PubMed
  • 22 Pelliccia A, Di Paolo FM, De Blasiis E. et al. Prevalence and clinical significance of aortic root dilation in highly trained competitive athletes. Circ 2010; 122: 698-706
    CrossrefPubMedGoogle Scholar
  • 23 Pelliccia A, Di Paolo FM, Quattrini FM. Aortic root dilatation in athletic population. Prog Cardiovasc Dis 2012; 54: 432-437
    CrossrefPubMedGoogle Scholar
  • 24 Iskandar A, Mujtaba MT, Thompson PD. Left atrium size in elite athletes. JACC: Cardiovascular imaging 2015; 8: 753-762
    PubMedGoogle Scholar
  • 25 Tivesten A, Bollano E, Nystrom H. et al. Cardiac concentric remodelling induced by non-aromatizable (dihydro-) testosterone is antagonized by oestradiol in ovariectomized rats. J Endocrinol 2006; 189: 485-492
    CrossrefPubMedGoogle Scholar
  • 26 Maron BJ. Sudden death in young athletes. New England J Med 2003; 349: 1064-1075
    CrossrefPubMedGoogle Scholar
  • 27 George KP, Batterham AM, Jones B. The impact of scalar variable and process on athlete-control comparisons of cardiac dimensions. Med Sci Sports Exerc 1998; 30: 824-830
    PubMedGoogle Scholar
  • 28 Rossi C, Roklicer R, Tubic T. et al. The Role of Psychological Factors in Judo: A Systematic Review. Int J Environ Res Public Health 2022; 19
    PubMedGoogle Scholar
  • 29 Roklicer R, Rossi C, Bianco A. et al. Prevalence of rapid weight loss in Olympic style wrestlers. J Int Soc Sports Nutr 2022; 19: 593-602
    CrossrefPubMedGoogle Scholar
  • 30 Roklicer R, Rossi C, Bianco A. et al. Rapid Weight Loss Coupled with Sport-Specific Training Impairs Heart Rate Recovery in Greco-Roman Wrestlers. Appl Sci 2022; 12: 3286
    CrossrefPubMedGoogle Scholar
  • 31 Drid P, Franchini E, Lopes-Silva JP. et al. Health implications of judo training. Sustainability 2021; 13: 11403
    CrossrefPubMedGoogle Scholar