Understanding the Increased Risk of Atrial Fibrillation in Athletes: a Case-control Study
For patients and families
In plain language
An automatic summary of structured registry data. It is an orientation aid, not a substitute for the official protocol or a physician assessment.
- What is being studied
- This is an observational study: the protocol does not assign a study treatment.
- Who it may be relevant to
- Registry conditions: Atrial Fibrillation (AF). Basic parameters: from 18 years · All.
- What needs checking
- Age, condition and sex are only basic indicators. Prior treatment, laboratory values and other mandatory requirements appear in the eligibility criteria below.
- Where it takes place
- United Kingdom
- Next step
- Save the trial, show it to the treating physician, and confirm current recruitment with the study center. Costs, documents and travel →
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Overview
Exercise is beneficial to heart health, however, there appears to be a 'U' shaped relationship where too much exercise may increase the risk of an irregular heart rhythm, called atrial fibrillation. Endurance athletes may have up to a 2.5-fold higher risk of developing atrial fibrillation than non-athletic controls. The mechanisms behind this increased risk of atrial fibrillation are not the well understood. It is thought to be a mixture of enlarged heart chambers, low resting heart rate, genetic predisposition and possibly scarring in the heart. In this study, the investigators will investigate the electrical activity changes in the heart, using a high-quality electrocardiogram (ECG) and relate this to changes in the heart size measured by ultrasound and MRI. Cardiopulmonary exercise testing will determine fitness (V̇O2 max) and assess the heart's electrical activity during exercise. This will be a case-control study where athletes with and without atrial fibrillation will be recruited. The investigators hope the results of this study can improve our understanding of atrial fibrillation in athletes by associating atrial fibrillation with structural and electrical differences which may aid the prediction of future atrial fibrillation development and help guide more athlete-specific treatment pathways.
Primary outcome measures
- High-resolution ECG [Time frame: At study visit]
Secondary outcome measures (12)
- AI classification and prediction [Time frame: At study visit]
- 72hr heart rate monitoring [Time frame: At study visit]
- Electronic stethoscope recording [Time frame: At study visit]
- Cardiac imaging [Time frame: At study visit]
- Cardiac imaging [Time frame: At study visit]
- Cardiac imaging [Time frame: At study visit]
- Cardiac imaging [Time frame: At study visit]
- Cardiac imaging [Time frame: At study visit]
- Cardiac imaging [Time frame: At study visit]
- Cardiac imaging [Time frame: At study visit]
- Cardiac imaging [Time frame: At study visit]
- Cardiac imaging [Time frame: At study visit]
Eligibility criteria
Inclusion criteria
- ≥18 years of age at the time of enrolment, male and female.
- History of atrial fibrillation confirmed on ECG - either paroxysmal or persistent.
- Competitive athlete. Defined as:
- Competed in endurance sports with a total cumulative moderate to high intensity of > 1500 hours.
- Have participated in at least one competitive event in the last 10 years.
Exclusion criteria
- Permanent atrial fibrillation.
- History of pre-existing cardiovascular disease :
- Atherosclerotic disease: previous myocardial infarction, symptomatic coronary artery disease or Peripheral peripheral arterial disease
- Left ventricular systolic dysfunction (EF < 45%)
- Heart muscle disease: cardiomyopathies, Infiltrative diseases of the heart
- Complex Congenital heart disease
- Moderate or severe valvular disease
- Uncontrolled hypertension (>180/100mmHg)
Criteria are shown verbatim from the registry (in English). Final eligibility is always assessed by the study center.
Healthy volunteers: Yes
Study design
- Observational model
- Case-control
Study locations
United Kingdom · 1 center
- Department of Cardiovascular Sciences. University of Leicester. Glenfield Hospital. — Leicester
Identifiers
NCT: NCT06844656 · 1001