Differences in the heart’s adaptation to regular physical exercise within one sport depending on the discipline: a single-center cross-sectional study

Aim: identify the characteristics of cardiac remodeling in athletes specializing in different disciplines within the same sport.

Materials and methods: The results of medical examinations of 1514 athletes (865 men and 649 women) from seven sports, divided into disciplines, were analyzed. The main parameters for comparison were echocardiographic indicators: end-diastolic dimension index (EDDI), end-diastolic volume index (EDVI), left ventricular mass index (LVMI), and stroke index (SI).

Results: Statistically significant differences in all studied indicators (p < 0.05) were found between cycling disciplines in men: track (sprint) and track (endurance), track (sprint) and road, respectively. Differences were found between indoor volleyball and beach volleyball for all studied indicators (p < 0.05), except for LVMI in men (p = 0.343) and SI in women (p = 0.062). In speed skating, the echocardiographic indicators of male sprinters and long-distance skaters did not differ (p > 0.05), while in women, differences were found in the indicators of EDDI, ESDI, and LVMI (p < 0.05). For snowboarding, no statistically significant differences (p > 0.05) were found in the studied parameters between disciplines for both sexes. Statistically significant differences were found in the EDDI of foil and sabre fencers (p = 0.009), as well as in the EDDI of single skating and ice dancing athletes (p = 0.005). A comparison of freestyle disciplines revealed differences only in the indicators of EDDI and ESDI when comparing acrobatics and ski cross for men (p = 0.001 for EDDI; p < 0.001 for ESDI), ski cross and halfpipe/slopestyle for women (p = 0.001 for EDDI; p = 0.003 for ESDI).

Conclusion: The type of exercise affects the characteristics of myocardial remodeling even within the same sport. At the same time, gender differences can determine the characteristics of cardiac adaptation with the same type of exercise. A comparative analysis of these factors provides a basis for reference values for the morphofunctional characteristics of the heart depending on the discipline within a single sport.

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