Hypertrophic cardiomyopathy and ultra-endurance running - two incompatible entities?

J Cardiovasc Magn Reson. 2011 Nov 29;13(1):77. doi: 10.1186/1532-429X-13-77.

Abstract

Regular and prolonged exercise is associated with increased left ventricular wall thickness that can overlap with hypertrophic cardiomyopathy (HCM). Differentiating physiological from pathological hypertrophy has important implications, since HCM is the commonest cause of exercise-related sudden cardiac death in young individuals. Most deaths have been reported in intermittent 'start-stop' sports such as football (soccer) and basketball. The theory is that individuals with HCM are unable to augment stroke volume sufficiently to meet the demands of endurance sports and are accordingly 'selected-out' of participation in such events. We report the case of an ultra-endurance athlete with 25 years of > 50 km competitive running experience, with genetically confirmed HCM; thereby demonstrating that these can be two compatible entities.

Publication types

  • Case Reports
  • Research Support, Non-U.S. Gov't

MeSH terms

  • Adult
  • Asymptomatic Diseases
  • Cardiomyopathy, Hypertrophic, Familial / diagnosis
  • Cardiomyopathy, Hypertrophic, Familial / genetics
  • Cardiomyopathy, Hypertrophic, Familial / physiopathology*
  • Carrier Proteins / genetics
  • DNA Mutational Analysis
  • Echocardiography, Doppler, Color
  • Electrocardiography
  • Exercise Test
  • Genetic Predisposition to Disease
  • Humans
  • Magnetic Resonance Imaging
  • Male
  • Mutation
  • Phenotype
  • Physical Endurance*
  • Running*

Substances

  • Carrier Proteins
  • myosin-binding protein C