Echocardiographic analysis of the left ventricular function in elderly runners

Resumo

Introduction: During the aging process, cardiovascular function suffers intense changes. Objective: To perform an echocardiographic evaluation of left ventricular function in elderly male athletes and non-athletes. Methods: Eleven elderly males were separated into two groups: group A, with six non-athletes (61.66 ± 3.20y) and group B, with eight athletes (62.75 ± 3.24y). Two-dimensional and M mode color Doppler echocardiography were used to assess heart rate (HR), stroke volume (SV), diastolic dimension (DD), systolic dimension (SD), end diastolic volume (EDV), end systolic volume (ESV), mass of the left ventricle (M), isovolumetric relaxation time (IRT), and deceleration time (DT). Results: HR was significantly higher in Group A. The mean values of EDV, ESV, and DT were significantly higher in athletes (Group B). IRT and SV values were higher in Group A; and DD, DS and M trended to be higher in Group B, but without any statistical significance. Conclusions: The regular practice of running improved both hemodynamic and structural variables in elderly subjects.