Document Type : Research Paper

Authors

• Noushin Azadpour ¹
• behzad hajizadeamini ²
• sirwan mohammad amini ³
• ali arman ⁴

¹ Department of Physiotherapy, Ardabil University of Medical Sciences, Ardabil, Iran

² Department of Sports Medicine, Justus-Liebig-University, Giessen, Germany,

³ Department of Exercise Physiology, Faculty of Physical Education and Sport Sciences, Urmia University, Urmia, Iran.

⁴ Department of Exercise Physiology, Faculty of Physical Education and Sport Sciences, Urmia University

Abstract

Background: The "athlete's heart" syndrome encompasses structural and functional cardiac adaptations to chronic exercise. These sports impose unique hemodynamic loads, potentially leading to distinct remodeling patterns.
Objective: This study aimed to compare central cardiovascular adaptations, both structural and functional, in elite male athletes from basketball, volleyball, and handball to identify sport-specific differences.
Methods: Thirty male athletes (aged 18-25; n=10 per sport group) participated in this cross-sectional study. All participants underwent comprehensive transthoracic echocardiography at rest and immediately following a maximal graded exercise test (GXT) on a treadmill. Key measured parameters included left ventricular (LV) dimensions, wall thickness, mass, ejection fraction (EF), stroke volume, and cardiac output. Data were analyzed using One-Way ANOVA or the Kruskal-Wallis test, with post-hoc analyses where appropriate.
Results: While most parameters indicated a common adaptive athlete’s heart profile across all sports, significant sport-specific differences were found. Handball players exhibited a significantly higher heart rate post-GXT (180.11±9.45bpm) compared to both basketball and volleyball players (p<0.01). Furthermore, ejection fraction was significantly different between all groups at rest (p<0.05), with handball players also demonstrating a superior EF post-GXT compared to the other groups (p<0.05). A significant difference in left ventricular end-systolic dimension was also observed at rest between all three sports (p<0.001).
Conclusion: The significant differences in post-exercise heart rate and ejection fraction, particularly in handball players, suggest that the pronounced upper-body and isometric components of handball impose a unique hemodynamic stress, leading to distinct functional adaptations. This underscores the importance of sport-specific interpretation of cardiac parameters in athletes.

Keywords

• Athlete’s Heart
• Echocardiography
• Team Sports
• Cardiac Remodeling
• Exercise Test
• Hemodynamic Adaptation

Main Subjects

• Exercise Physiology