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Boraita A, Heras ME, Valenzuela PL, Diaz-Gonzalez L, Morales-Acuna F, Alcocer-Ayuga M, Bartolomé-Mateos S, Santos-Lozano A, Lucia A. Holter-determined arrhythmias in young elite athletes with suspected risk: Insights from a 20-year experience. Front Cardiovasc Med 2022; 9:896148. [PMID: 35935632 PMCID: PMC9354520 DOI: 10.3389/fcvm.2022.896148] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/14/2022] [Accepted: 06/24/2022] [Indexed: 11/13/2022] Open
Abstract
PurposeWe assessed the occurrence of rhythm alterations in elite athletes with suspected risk using Holter monitoring, and the association of Holter-determined rhythm alterations with echocardiographic findings.MethodsA large cohort of Spanish elite athletes (N = 6,579, 34% female) underwent in-depth cardiological examination (including echocardiographic evaluation, and resting and exercise electrocardiogram [ECG]) between 01/02/1998 and 12/31/2018. Holter monitoring was performed in those reporting cardiovascular symptoms, with suspicion of cardiac structural abnormalities potentially associated with dangerous arrhythmias, or with resting/exercise ECG features prompting a closer examination. We assessed the occurrence of cardiac rhythm alterations, as well as the association between echocardiography-determined conditions and rhythm alterations.ResultsMost athletes (N = 5925) did not show any sign/symptom related to arrhythmia (including normal resting and exercise/post-exercise ECG results) whereas 9.9% (N = 654; 28% female; median age, 24 years [interquartile range 19–28]; competition experience [mean ± SD] 10±6 years) met the criteria to undergo Holter monitoring. Among the latter, sinus bradycardia was the most common finding (present in 96% of cases), yet with a relatively low proportion of severe (<30 bpm) bradycardia (12% of endurance athletes during night-time). Premature atrial and ventricular beats were also common (61.9 and 39.4%, respectively) but sinus pauses ≥3 s, high-grade atrioventricular blocks, and atrial fibrillation/flutter were rare (<1%). Polymorphic premature ventricular contractions (PVC, 1.4%) and idioventricular rhythm (0.005%) were also rare. PVC couplets were relatively prevalent (10.7%), but complex ventricular arrhythmias were not frequent (PVC triplets: 1.8%; sustained ventricular tachycardia: 0.0%; and nonsustained ventricular tachycardia: 1.5%). On the other hand, no associations were found between arrhythmias (including their different morphologies) and major cardiac structural alterations (including mitral prolapse). However, an association was found between mild mitral regurgitation and supraventricular (odds ratio 2.61; 95% confidence interval 1.08–6.32) and ventricular (2.80; 1.15–6.78; p = 0.02) arrhythmias, as well as between mild or moderate mitral regurgitation and ventricular arrhythmias (2.49; 1.03–6.01).ConclusionsIrrespective of the sports discipline, “dangerous” ventricular arrhythmias are overall infrequent even among young elite athletes who require Holter monitoring due to the presence of symptoms or abnormal echocardiographic/ECG findings, and do not seem to be associated with underlying serious cardiac structural pathologies.
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Affiliation(s)
- Araceli Boraita
- Department of Cardiology, Sports Medicine Center, Consejo Superior de Deportes, Madrid, Spain
- *Correspondence: Araceli Boraita
| | - María-Eugenia Heras
- Department of Cardiology, Sports Medicine Center, Consejo Superior de Deportes, Madrid, Spain
| | - Pedro L. Valenzuela
- Research Institute of the Hospital 12 de Octubre (“imas12”, PaHerg group), Madrid, Spain
| | - Leonel Diaz-Gonzalez
- Department of Cardiology, CEMTRO Clinic, Madrid, Spain
- Department of Cardiology, La Paz Hospital, Madrid, Spain
| | - Francisco Morales-Acuna
- Especialidad en Medicina del Deporte y la Actividad Física, Facultad de Ciencias, Universidad Mayor, Santiago, Chile
| | - María Alcocer-Ayuga
- Department of Cardiology, Sports Medicine Center, Consejo Superior de Deportes, Madrid, Spain
| | - Sonia Bartolomé-Mateos
- Department of Cardiology, Sports Medicine Center, Consejo Superior de Deportes, Madrid, Spain
| | - Alejandro Santos-Lozano
- Research Institute of the Hospital 12 de Octubre (“imas12”, PaHerg group), Madrid, Spain
- Department of Health Sciences, i+HeALTH Research Group, European University Miguel de Cervantes, Valladolid, Spain
| | - Alejandro Lucia
- Research Institute of the Hospital 12 de Octubre (“imas12”, PaHerg group), Madrid, Spain
- Faculty of Sport Sciences, Universidad Europea de Madrid, Madrid, Spain
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Wan Q, Zhou Y, Zhu W, Liu X. Sex-Specific Exposure-Effect Relationship Between Physical Activity and Incident Atrial Fibrillation in the General Population: A Dose-Response Meta-Analysis of 16 Prospective Studies. Front Cardiovasc Med 2021; 8:710071. [PMID: 34631817 PMCID: PMC8492974 DOI: 10.3389/fcvm.2021.710071] [Citation(s) in RCA: 5] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/15/2021] [Accepted: 08/20/2021] [Indexed: 01/20/2023] Open
Abstract
Background: Since evidence regarding the relationship between physical activity (PA) and atrial fibrillation (AF) incidence is inconsistent among studies, we performed a dose-response meta-analysis to comprehensively evaluate the exposure-effect association between PA and incident AF and the potential sex difference in the general population. Methods: The PubMed and Embase databases were searched for eligible studies published up to July 2020 (PROSPERO: CRD42018091692). The non-linear or linear exposure-effect relationship between PA and AF was examined using the robust error meta-regression method. Results: A total of 16 prospective studies involving 1,449,017 individuals and 39,884 AF cases were included. We observed an inverse non-linear association between PA level and incident AF (I 2 = 0%, p non-linearity < 0.001). In the linear model, a 5 metabolic equivalent of task (MET)-h/week increase in PA was associated with a decreased risk of AF [risk ratio (RR) = 0.992, 95% confidence interval (CI): 0.988-0.996, I 2 = 0%]. In the sex-stratified analysis, we observed an inverse non-linear relationship between PA level and AF risk in females (I 2 = 90%, p non-linearity < 0.0001) but not in males (I 2 = 0%, p non-linearity = 0.40). In the linear model, a 5 MET-h/week increase in PA was associated with a reduced risk of AF in females (RR = 0.982, 95% CI: 0.975-0.989, I 2 = 71%) but not in males (RR = 0.998, 95% CI: 0.994-1.002, I 2 = 0%), with a significant interaction observed between the two groups (p interaction < 0.0001). Conclusion: There was an inverse non-linear relationship between PA level and incident AF in the general population. The beneficial effect of PA in reducing AF risk might be predominantly observed in females.
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Affiliation(s)
- Qin Wan
- Department of Geriatrics, Jiangxi Provincial People's Hospital Affiliated to Nanchang University, Nanchang, China
| | - Yue Zhou
- State Key Laboratory of Ophthalmology, Zhongshan Ophthalmic Center, Sun Yat-sen University, Guangzhou, China
| | - Wengen Zhu
- Department of Cardiology, The First Affiliated Hospital of Sun Yat-sen University, Guangzhou, China
| | - Xiao Liu
- Department of Cardiology, Sun Yat-sen Memorial Hospital of Sun Yat-sen University, Guangzhou, China.,Guangdong Province Key Laboratory of Arrhythmia and Electrophysiology, Guangzhou, China
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Janiaud P, Agarwal A, Tzoulaki I, Theodoratou E, Tsilidis KK, Evangelou E, Ioannidis JPA. Validity of observational evidence on putative risk and protective factors: appraisal of 3744 meta-analyses on 57 topics. BMC Med 2021; 19:157. [PMID: 34225716 PMCID: PMC8259334 DOI: 10.1186/s12916-021-02020-6] [Citation(s) in RCA: 16] [Impact Index Per Article: 5.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/17/2021] [Accepted: 05/28/2021] [Indexed: 12/12/2022] Open
Abstract
BACKGROUND The validity of observational studies and their meta-analyses is contested. Here, we aimed to appraise thousands of meta-analyses of observational studies using a pre-specified set of quantitative criteria that assess the significance, amount, consistency, and bias of the evidence. We also aimed to compare results from meta-analyses of observational studies against meta-analyses of randomized controlled trials (RCTs) and Mendelian randomization (MR) studies. METHODS We retrieved from PubMed (last update, November 19, 2020) umbrella reviews including meta-analyses of observational studies assessing putative risk or protective factors, regardless of the nature of the exposure and health outcome. We extracted information on 7 quantitative criteria that reflect the level of statistical support, the amount of data, the consistency across different studies, and hints pointing to potential bias. These criteria were level of statistical significance (pre-categorized according to 10-6, 0.001, and 0.05 p-value thresholds), sample size, statistical significance for the largest study, 95% prediction intervals, between-study heterogeneity, and the results of tests for small study effects and for excess significance. RESULTS 3744 associations (in 57 umbrella reviews) assessed by a median number of 7 (interquartile range 4 to 11) observational studies were eligible. Most associations were statistically significant at P < 0.05 (61.1%, 2289/3744). Only 2.6% of associations had P < 10-6, ≥1000 cases (or ≥20,000 participants for continuous factors), P < 0.05 in the largest study, 95% prediction interval excluding the null, and no large between-study heterogeneity, small study effects, or excess significance. Across the 57 topics, large heterogeneity was observed in the proportion of associations fulfilling various quantitative criteria. The quantitative criteria were mostly independent from one another. Across 62 associations assessed in both RCTs and in observational studies, 37.1% had effect estimates in opposite directions and 43.5% had effect estimates differing beyond chance in the two designs. Across 94 comparisons assessed in both MR and observational studies, such discrepancies occurred in 30.8% and 54.7%, respectively. CONCLUSIONS Acknowledging that no gold-standard exists to judge whether an observational association is genuine, statistically significant results are common in observational studies, but they are rarely convincing or corroborated by randomized evidence.
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Affiliation(s)
- Perrine Janiaud
- Meta-Research Innovation Center at Stanford (METRICS), Stanford, CA, 94305, USA.,Department of Clinical Research, University Hospital Basel, University of Basel, CH-4056, Basel, Switzerland
| | - Arnav Agarwal
- Department of Medicine, University of Toronto, 1 King's College Circle #3172, Toronto, ON, M5S 1A8, Canada
| | - Ioanna Tzoulaki
- Department of Hygiene and Epidemiology, University of Ioannina School of Medicine, University Campus, 45110, Ioannina, Greece.,Department of Epidemiology and Biostatistics, School of Public Health, Imperial College London, London, W2 1PG, UK
| | - Evropi Theodoratou
- Centre for Global Health, The University of Edinburgh, Edinburgh, EH8 9AG, UK.,Cancer Research UK Edinburgh Centre, Institute of Genetics and Cancer, Western General Hospital, The University of Edinburgh, Edinburgh, EH4 2XU, UK
| | - Konstantinos K Tsilidis
- Department of Hygiene and Epidemiology, University of Ioannina School of Medicine, University Campus, 45110, Ioannina, Greece.,Department of Epidemiology and Biostatistics, School of Public Health, Imperial College London, London, W2 1PG, UK
| | - Evangelos Evangelou
- Department of Hygiene and Epidemiology, University of Ioannina School of Medicine, University Campus, 45110, Ioannina, Greece.,Department of Epidemiology and Biostatistics, School of Public Health, Imperial College London, London, W2 1PG, UK
| | - John P A Ioannidis
- Meta-Research Innovation Center at Stanford (METRICS), Stanford, CA, 94305, USA. .,Department of Epidemiology and Population Health, Stanford University School of Medicine, Stanford, CA, 94305, USA. .,Stanford Prevention Research Center, Department of Medicine, Stanford University School of Medicine, Stanford, CA, 94305, USA. .,Department of Biomedical Data Science, Stanford University School of Medicine, Stanford, CA, 94305, USA. .,Department of Statistics, Stanford University School of Humanities and Sciences, Stanford, CA, 94305, USA.
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Heitmann KA, Løchen ML, Hopstock LA, Stylidis M, Welde B, Schirmer H, Morseth B. Cross-sectional associations between accelerometry-measured physical activity, left atrial size, and indices of left ventricular diastolic dysfunction: The Tromsø Study. Prev Med Rep 2020; 21:101290. [PMID: 33425668 PMCID: PMC7782323 DOI: 10.1016/j.pmedr.2020.101290] [Citation(s) in RCA: 6] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/20/2020] [Revised: 11/04/2020] [Accepted: 12/13/2020] [Indexed: 02/08/2023] Open
Abstract
Examination of how objectively PA and LAVi associate in a general population represents novelty. PA is associated with greater LA size in participants <70 years with normal diastolic function. LA enlargement is only associated with diastolic dysfunction in the most inactive participants. We suggest that LA enlargement in active individuals is not an expression of cardiac dysfunction.
Whereas left atrial (LA) enlargement is an independent predictor for adverse cardiovascular events and all-cause mortality, this is regarded a physiological adaption of exercise. Paradoxically, LA size in athletes may overlap the enlargement observed in patients with cardiac pathology. Current knowledge is mainly derived from studies of athletes, and little is known about cardiac adaptations to physical activity (PA) in the general population. We explored the association between objectively measured PA and LA volume index (LAVi), and between LAVi enlargement and indices of diastolic dysfunction stratified by PA-level. Our study included 1573 participants from the population-based Tromsø Study (2015–16). PA was assessed with an ActiGraph wGT3X-BT accelerometer. Echocardiography was performed according to current guidelines. The associations between PA and LAVi, and between LAVi enlargement and indices of diastolic dysfunction were estimated by univariable and multivariable linear regression analyses, adjusted for sex, age, and cardiovascular risk factors. Our multiple adjusted analyses showed significant linear associations between PA and LAVi in ages < 70 years, and between PA and LAVi in participants with normal diastolic function. No associations were seen in ages ≥ 70 years or for participants with abnormal diastolic function. In those 40–54 years, the most active participants had larger LAVi (4.45 mL/m2, p = 0.016) than the least active. LAVi enlargement was only associated with indices of diastolic dysfunction in the most inactive participants. In conclusion, higher levels of PA associate with greater LAVi in participants < 70 years with normal diastolic function. LAVi enlargement is only associated with diastolic dysfunction in the most inactive participants.
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Affiliation(s)
- Kim Arne Heitmann
- School of Sport Sciences, UiT The Arctic University of Norway, Tromsø, Norway.,Centre for Clinical Research and Education, University Hospital of North Norway, Tromsø, Norway
| | - Maja-Lisa Løchen
- Department of Community Medicine, UiT The Arctic University of Norway, Tromsø, Norway
| | - Laila A Hopstock
- Department of Community Medicine, UiT The Arctic University of Norway, Tromsø, Norway
| | - Michael Stylidis
- Department of Community Medicine, UiT The Arctic University of Norway, Tromsø, Norway
| | - Boye Welde
- School of Sport Sciences, UiT The Arctic University of Norway, Tromsø, Norway
| | - Henrik Schirmer
- Department of Cardiology, Akershus University Hospital, Lørenskog, Norway.,Institute of Clinical Medicine, University of Oslo, Oslo, Norway.,Department of Clinical Medicine, UiT The Arctic University of Norway, Tromsø, Norway
| | - Bente Morseth
- School of Sport Sciences, UiT The Arctic University of Norway, Tromsø, Norway
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