OBJECTIVE: To evaluate whether in a population of patients with 'lone atrial flutter', the proportion of those engaged in long-term endurance sports is higher than that observed in the general population. DESIGN: An age and sex-matched retrospective case-control study. SETTING: A database with 638 consecutive patients who underwent ablation for atrial flutter at the University of Leuven. Sixty-one patients (55 men, 90%) fitted the inclusion criteria of 'lone atrial flutter', ie, aged 65 years or less, without documented atrial fibrillation and without identifiable underlying disease (including hypertension). Sex, age and inclusion criteria-matched controls, two for each flutter patient, were selected in a general practice in the same geographical region. METHODS: Sports activity was evaluated by detailed questionnaires, which were available in 58 flutter patients (95%). A transthoracic echocardiogram was performed in all lone flutter patients. MAIN OUTCOME MEASURES: Types of sports, number of years of participation and average number of hours per week. RESULTS: The proportion of regular sportsmen (≥3 h of sports practice per week) among patients with lone atrial flutter was significantly higher than that observed in the general population (50% vs 17%; p<0.0001). The proportion of sportsmen engaged in long-term endurance sports (participation in cycling, running or swimming for ≥3 h/week) was also significantly higher in lone flutter patients than in controls (31% vs 8%; p=0.0003). Those flutter patients performing endurance sports had a larger left atrium than non-sportsmen (p=0.04, by one-way analysis of variance). CONCLUSION: A history of endurance sports and subsequent left atrial remodelling may be a risk factor for the development of atrial flutter.
OBJECTIVE: To evaluate whether in a population of patients with 'lone atrial flutter', the proportion of those engaged in long-term endurance sports is higher than that observed in the general population. DESIGN: An age and sex-matched retrospective case-control study. SETTING: A database with 638 consecutive patients who underwent ablation for atrial flutter at the University of Leuven. Sixty-one patients (55 men, 90%) fitted the inclusion criteria of 'lone atrial flutter', ie, aged 65 years or less, without documented atrial fibrillation and without identifiable underlying disease (including hypertension). Sex, age and inclusion criteria-matched controls, two for each flutterpatient, were selected in a general practice in the same geographical region. METHODS: Sports activity was evaluated by detailed questionnaires, which were available in 58 flutterpatients (95%). A transthoracic echocardiogram was performed in all lone flutterpatients. MAIN OUTCOME MEASURES: Types of sports, number of years of participation and average number of hours per week. RESULTS: The proportion of regular sportsmen (≥3 h of sports practice per week) among patients with lone atrial flutter was significantly higher than that observed in the general population (50% vs 17%; p<0.0001). The proportion of sportsmen engaged in long-term endurance sports (participation in cycling, running or swimming for ≥3 h/week) was also significantly higher in lone flutterpatients than in controls (31% vs 8%; p=0.0003). Those flutterpatients performing endurance sports had a larger left atrium than non-sportsmen (p=0.04, by one-way analysis of variance). CONCLUSION: A history of endurance sports and subsequent left atrial remodelling may be a risk factor for the development of atrial flutter.
Authors: Duck-Chul Lee; Russell R Pate; Carl J Lavie; Xuemei Sui; Timothy S Church; Steven N Blair Journal: J Am Coll Cardiol Date: 2014-08-05 Impact factor: 24.094
Authors: Andrea N Keithler; Andrew S Wilson; Alexander Yuan; Jose M Sosa; Kelvin N V Bush Journal: BMC Cardiovasc Disord Date: 2022-03-13 Impact factor: 2.298