Skip to main page content
U.S. flag

An official website of the United States government

Dot gov

The .gov means it’s official.
Federal government websites often end in .gov or .mil. Before sharing sensitive information, make sure you’re on a federal government site.

Https

The site is secure.
The https:// ensures that you are connecting to the official website and that any information you provide is encrypted and transmitted securely.

Access keys NCBI Homepage MyNCBI Homepage Main Content Main Navigation
. 2016 Aug 9:2:29.
doi: 10.1186/s40798-016-0053-0. eCollection 2016 Dec.

Cardiovascular Risk and Disease Among Masters Endurance Athletes: Insights from the Boston MASTER (Masters Athletes Survey To Evaluate Risk) Initiative

Kayle Shapero #  1   2 , James Deluca #  2 , Miranda Contursi  2 , Meagan Wasfy  2 , Rory B Weiner  2 , Gregory D Lewis  2 , Adolph Hutter  2 , Aaron L Baggish  2
Affiliations

Cardiovascular Risk and Disease Among Masters Endurance Athletes: Insights from the Boston MASTER (Masters Athletes Survey To Evaluate Risk) Initiative

Kayle Shapero et al. Sports Med Open. .

Abstract

Background: Masters athletes (MAs), people over the age of 35 that participate in competitive sports, are a rapidly growing population that may be uniquely at risk for cardiovascular (CV) disease. The objective of this study was to develop a comprehensive clinical CV profile of MA.

Methods: An electronic Internet-based survey (survey response rate = 66 %) was used to characterize a community cohort of MAs residing in Eastern Massachusetts, USA. Clinical and lifestyle factors associated with prevalent CV disease were determined using logistic regression.

Results: Among 591 MAs (66 % men, age = 50 ± 9 years) with 21.3 ± 5.5 years of competitive endurance sport exposure, at least one CV risk factor was present in 64 % including the following: family history of premature atherosclerosis (32 %), prior/current tobacco exposure (23 %), hypertension (12.0 %), and dyslipidemia (7.4 %). There was a 9 % (54/591) prevalence of established CV disease which was accounted for largely by atrial fibrillation (AF) and coronary atherosclerosis (CAD). Prevalent AF was associated with years of exercise exposure [adjusted odds ratio, OR (95 % confidence intervals); OR = 1.10 (1.06, 1.21)] and hypertension [OR = 1.05 (1.01, 1.10)] while CAD was associated with dyslipidemia [OR = 9.09 (2.40, 34.39)] and tobacco use [OR = 1.78 (1.34, 3.10)] but was independent of exercise exposure.

Conclusions: Among MAs, AF is associated with prior exercise exposure whereas CAD is associated with typical risk factors including dyslipidemia and prior tobacco use. These findings suggest that there are numerous opportunities to improve disease prevention and clinical care in this population.

Keywords: Cardiovascular risk factors; Exercise; Masters athlete; Sports cardiology.

PubMed Disclaimer

Figures

Fig. 1
Fig. 1
Geographical distribution of responding masters athlete organizations. Each of the 18 running, cycling, swimming, rowing, and triathlon teams who responded and agreed to disseminate the survey among their members are represented
Fig. 2
Fig. 2
Prior exposure to cardiovascular screening/diagnostic tests. Among respondents, men underwent significantly more CV screening tests than women both in total and across the four different testing modalities. CT computed tomography, ECG electrocardiography
Fig. 3
Fig. 3
a Prevalence of traditional cardiovascular risk factors and b distribution of risk factor burden and disease prevalence. a Significant family history of atherosclerosis and prior/current tobacco exposure were the most common CV risk factors among male and female MAs. Men had significantly higher rates of hypertension and dyslipidemia, as compared to women. b Graphical representation of the survey population stratified by risk factor and disease burden. Of this population, 64 % reported at least one cardiovascular risk factor while the overall prevalence of established CV disease was 9 %. CAD coronary artery disease
See this image and copyright information in PMC

References

    1. Thompson PD, Funk EJ, Carleton RA, Sturner WQ. Incidence of death during jogging in Rhode Island from 1975 through 1980. JAMA. 1982;247(18):2535–8. doi: 10.1001/jama.1982.03320430039028. - DOI - PubMed
    1. Siscovick DS, Weiss NS, Fletcher RH, Lasky T. The incidence of primary cardiac arrest during vigorous exercise. N Engl J Med. 1984;311(14):874–7. doi: 10.1056/NEJM198410043111402. - DOI - PubMed
    1. Maron BJ, Araujo CG, Thompson PD, Fletcher GF, de Luna AB, Fleg JL, et al. Recommendations for preparticipation screening and the assessment of cardiovascular disease in masters athletes: an advisory for healthcare professionals from the working groups of the World Heart Federation, the International Federation of Sports Medicine, and the American Heart Association Committee on Exercise, Cardiac Rehabilitation, and Prevention. Circulation. 2001;103(2):327–34. doi: 10.1161/01.CIR.103.2.327. - DOI - PubMed
    1. Kim JH, Malhotra R, Chiampas G, d’Hemecourt P, Troyanos C, Cianca J, et al. Cardiac arrest during long-distance running races. N Engl J Med. 2012;366(2):130–40. doi: 10.1056/NEJMoa1106468. - DOI - PubMed
    1. Schwartz RS, Merkel Kraus S, Schwartz JG, Wickstrom KK, Peichel G, Garberich RF, et al. Increased coronary artery plaque volume among male marathon runners. Mo Med. 2014;111(2):85–90. - PMC - PubMed

LinkOut - more resources