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Morbidities in the ultra-athlete and marathoner

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  13 January 2017

Taylor C. Cunningham ,
Khadijah Maghrabi  and
Shubhayan Sanatani
Taylor C. Cunningham
Affiliation:
Department of Pediatrics, Division of Cardiology, Children’s Heart Centre, British Columbia’s Children’s Hospital, Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada
Khadijah Maghrabi
Affiliation:
Department of Pediatrics, Division of Cardiology, Children’s Heart Centre, British Columbia’s Children’s Hospital, Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada
Shubhayan Sanatani*
Affiliation:
Department of Pediatrics, Division of Cardiology, Children’s Heart Centre, British Columbia’s Children’s Hospital, Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada
*
Correspondence to: Dr S. Sanatani, Division Head, Division of Cardiology, Children’s Heart Centre, British Columbia’s Children’s Hospital, 4480 Oak St 1F9, Vancouver, BC, Canada V6H 3V4. Tel: 604 875 3619; Fax: 604 875 3463; E-mail: [email protected]
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Abstract

The cardiovascular benefits of habitual exercise are well documented. In the current era, more of the population is exceeding the recommendations for physical activity as the popularity of endurance events increases. Recent data have proposed a U-shaped relationship between exercise intensity and cardiovascular outcomes. Regular participation in endurance activities has been shown to result in structural and functional changes in the heart. This re-modelling may be the substrate for cardiac dysfunction or arrhythmias. The risk of sudden cardiac death may also be elevated; however, in most cases of sudden cardiac death, the cause can be linked to an underlying cardiac pathology where exercise acted as the trigger for a lethal arrhythmia. This article serves to review whether excessive exercise may result in harm in some athletes.

Keywords

Endurance athletearrhythmiasexercisesudden cardiac deathathlete’s heart
Type
Original Articles
Information
Cardiology in the Young , Volume 27 , Supplement S1: Sudden Cardiac Arrest in the Young: A Contemporary Perspective , January 2017 , pp. S94 - S100
Copyright
© Cambridge University Press 2017 

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