Athletic Heart Remodeling in Athletes with Arterial Hypertension

Abstract

Although the prevalence of arterial hypertension (AH) in athletes is significantly lower than that in the general population, the prevalence of high blood pressure (BP) and increased left ventricular mass in a number of sports with high isometric loads (speed and strength sports) is higher than that in cyclic sports with high aerobic load. Specific risk factors of hypertension in athletes include high intake of sodium, alcohol, caffeine, and a number of illicit drugs, such as erythropoietin, growth hormone, and oral contraceptives in women. The development of athletic heart is determined by training and competitive activity and generally does not lead to the disorders of systolic and diastolic function. However, elevated BP in athletes increases the risk of myocardial hypertrophy and remodeling, which is one of the possible contraindications for sports with high static loads.