AUTHOR=Wolff Sebastián , Picco José M. , Díaz-González Leonel , Valenzuela Pedro L. , Gonzalez-Dávila Emanuel , Santos-Lozano Alejandro , Matile Pablo , Wolff David , Boraita Araceli , Lucia Alejandro 

TITLE=Exercise-Induced Cardiac Fatigue in Recreational Ultramarathon Runners at Moderate Altitude: Insights From Myocardial Deformation Analysis

JOURNAL=Frontiers in Cardiovascular Medicine

VOLUME=8

YEAR=2022

URL=https://www.frontiersin.org/journals/cardiovascular-medicine/articles/10.3389/fcvm.2021.744393

DOI=10.3389/fcvm.2021.744393

ISSN=2297-055X

ABSTRACT=<sec><title>Background</title><p>Controversy exists on the actual occurrence of exercise-induced cardiac fatigue (EICF) with ultraendurance exercise, as well as on whether factors such as age or training status might predispose to this condition. The present study aimed to assess the occurrence of EICF among recreational ultramarathon runners, as well as to determine potential predictive factors.</p></sec><sec><title>Methods</title><p>Nineteen male recreational runners (42 ± 12yrs) participated in a 55-km trial race at moderate altitude (1,800–2,500 m). Participants were evaluated before and after the race using Doppler echocardiography and myocardial deformation analysis. EICF was determined as a reduction &gt;5% of either left ventricular global longitudinal strain (LVGLS) or right ventricular free wall strain (RVFWS). Demographical (age, body mass index), training (training experience, volume and intensity), competition (finishing time, relative intensity) and biochemical variables (blood lactate, creatine kinase [CK] and CK-MB) were assessed as predictors of EICF.</p></sec><sec><title>Results</title><p>A significant reduction in LVGLS (20.1 ± 2.1% at baseline vs. 18.8 ± 2.4% at post-race, <italic>p</italic> = 0.026), but not in RVFWS (27.4 ± 7.0 vs. 24.6 ± 5.3%, <italic>p</italic> = 0.187), was observed after the race. EICF was present in 47 and 71% of the participants attending to the decrease in LVGLS and RVFWS, respectively. No associations were found between any of the analyzed variables and EICF except for age, which was associated with the magnitude of decrement of RVFWS (<italic>r</italic> = 0.58, <italic>p</italic> = 0.030).</p></sec><sec><title>Conclusions</title><p>Ultramarathon running at moderate altitude seems to induce EICF in a considerable proportion of recreational athletes.</p></sec>