Open AccessCompetitive Endurance Activities of Middle-aged Athletes as a Risk Factor for Atrial Fibrillation
Author(s) -
Zoran Šarčević,
Andreja Tepavčević
Publication year - 2018
Publication title -
current sports medicine reports
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 0.424
H-Index - 51
eISSN - 1537-8918
pISSN - 1537-890X
DOI - 10.1249/jsr.0000000000000535
Subject(s) - athletes , medicine , atrial fibrillation , competitive athletes , physical therapy , epidemiology , endurance training , risk factor , sports medicine , competitive sport , cardiology , physical medicine and rehabilitation
Atrial fibrillation (AF) is the most common cardiac arrhythmia in athletes. Epidemiological studies have documented a greater prevalence of AF in athletes engaged in long-term endurance sports. Several mechanisms were proposed to underlie the association between exercise and AF, but the exact pathophysiology remains unclear. The studies up to now have been concentrated on the competitive middle-aged endurance athletes, but there is no evidence of AF prevalence among highly active noncompetitive athletes of the same age. Endurance athletes who do not compete might be at a lower risk for AF than their competitive peers. This hypothesis is theoretically examined, and the current evidence summarized in this article.