Chiara Calore1, Alessandro Zorzi1, Nabeel Sheikh2, Alberto Nese1, Monica Facci1, Aneil Malhotra2, Abbas Zaidi2, Maurizio Schiavon3, Antonio Pelliccia4, Sanjay Sharma2, Domenico Corrado5. 1. Inherited Arrhythmogenic Cardiomyopathy Unit, Department of Cardiac, Thoracic, and Vascular Sciences, University of Padova, Via N. Giustiniani 2, 35121 Padova, Italy. 2. St George's University of London, London, UK. 3. Center of Sports Medicine, Department of Public Health, Padova, Italy. 4. Center for Sport Medicine and Sciences (CONI), Rome, Italy. 5. Inherited Arrhythmogenic Cardiomyopathy Unit, Department of Cardiac, Thoracic, and Vascular Sciences, University of Padova, Via N. Giustiniani 2, 35121 Padova, Italy domenico.corrado@unipd.it.
Abstract
AIMS: Anterior T-wave inversion (TWI) is a recognized variant in athletes of African/Afro Caribbean origin and some endurance athletes; however, the presence of this specific repolarization anomaly also raises the possibility of cardiomyopathy. The differentiation between physiological adaptation and cardiomyopathy may be facilitated by examining other repolarization parameters, notably the J-point and the ST-segment. METHODS AND RESULTS: We compared the electrocardiogram pattern of anterior TWI in a series of 80 healthy athletes (median age 21 years, 75% males); 95 patients with hypertrophic cardiomyopathy (HCM) (median age 46 years, 75% males), including 26 affected athletes; and 58 patients with arrhythmogenic right ventricular cardiomyopathy (ARVC) (median age 32 years, 71% males), including 9 affected athletes. Athletes and patients were of either white/Caucasian or black/Afro Caribbean descent and showed TWI ≥1 mm in ≥2 contiguous anterior leads (V1-V4). We aimed to identify repolarization patterns for differentiating physiologic from pathologic TWI. After adjustment for age, gender, and ethnicity, J-point elevation <1 mm (but no ST-segment elevation without J-point elevation) in the anterior leads showing TWI and TWI extending beyond V4 remained independent predictors for both ARVC, with OR = 569 (95% CI = 38-8545; P < 0.001) and OR = 6.0 (95% CI = 1.2-37.8; P = 0.03), respectively, and HCM with OR = 227 (95% CI = 12-1620; P < 0.001) and OR = 331 (95% CI = 20-2752; P = 0.001), respectively. In athletes with anterior TWI, the combination of J-point elevation ≥1 mm and TWI not extending beyond V4 excluded a cardiomyopathy, either ARVC or HCM, with 100% sensitivity and 55% specificity. CONCLUSION: The combination of J-point elevation and TWI confined to lead V1-V4 offers the potential for an accurate differentiation between 'physiologic' and 'cardiomyopathic' anterior TWI, among athletes of both white/Caucasian or black/Afro Caribbean descent. Conversely, ST-segment elevation without J-point elevation preceding anterior TWI may reflect cardiomyopathy. Published on behalf of the European Society of Cardiology. All rights reserved.
AIMS: Anterior T-wave inversion (TWI) is a recognized variant in athletes of African/Afro Caribbean origin and some endurance athletes; however, the presence of this specific repolarization anomaly also raises the possibility of cardiomyopathy. The differentiation between physiological adaptation and cardiomyopathy may be facilitated by examining other repolarization parameters, notably the J-point and the ST-segment. METHODS AND RESULTS: We compared the electrocardiogram pattern of anterior TWI in a series of 80 healthy athletes (median age 21 years, 75% males); 95 patients with hypertrophic cardiomyopathy (HCM) (median age 46 years, 75% males), including 26 affected athletes; and 58 patients with arrhythmogenic right ventricular cardiomyopathy (ARVC) (median age 32 years, 71% males), including 9 affected athletes. Athletes and patients were of either white/Caucasian or black/Afro Caribbean descent and showed TWI ≥1 mm in ≥2 contiguous anterior leads (V1-V4). We aimed to identify repolarization patterns for differentiating physiologic from pathologic TWI. After adjustment for age, gender, and ethnicity, J-point elevation <1 mm (but no ST-segment elevation without J-point elevation) in the anterior leads showing TWI and TWI extending beyond V4 remained independent predictors for both ARVC, with OR = 569 (95% CI = 38-8545; P < 0.001) and OR = 6.0 (95% CI = 1.2-37.8; P = 0.03), respectively, and HCM with OR = 227 (95% CI = 12-1620; P < 0.001) and OR = 331 (95% CI = 20-2752; P = 0.001), respectively. In athletes with anterior TWI, the combination of J-point elevation ≥1 mm and TWI not extending beyond V4 excluded a cardiomyopathy, either ARVC or HCM, with 100% sensitivity and 55% specificity. CONCLUSION: The combination of J-point elevation and TWI confined to lead V1-V4 offers the potential for an accurate differentiation between 'physiologic' and 'cardiomyopathic' anterior TWI, among athletes of both white/Caucasian or black/Afro Caribbean descent. Conversely, ST-segment elevation without J-point elevation preceding anterior TWI may reflect cardiomyopathy. Published on behalf of the European Society of Cardiology. All rights reserved.
Authors: Jean-Bernard Fabre; Laurent Grelot; William Vanbiervielt; Julien Mazerie; Raphael Manca; Vincent Martin Journal: BMJ Open Sport Exerc Med Date: 2020-10-19