Physiologic Left Ventricular Cavity Dilatation in Elite Athletes
Authors: Isabela Ribeiro, Jardim Botanico
Journal: Annals of Internal Medicine (1999)

Letters5 October 1999Physiologic Left Ventricular Cavity Dilatation in Elite AthletesIsabela Ribeiro and Jardim BotanicoIsabela RibeiroRio de Janeiro RJ, 22461-090, Brazil (Ribeiro)Rio de Janeiro RJ, 22461-090, Brazil (Botanico)Search for more papers by this author and Jardim BotanicoRio de Janeiro RJ, 22461-090, Brazil (Ribeiro)Rio de Janeiro RJ, 22461-090, Brazil (Botanico)Search for more papers by this authorAuthor, Article, and Disclosure Informationhttps://doi.org/10.7326/0003-4819-131-7-199910050-00026 SectionsAboutFull TextPDF ToolsAdd to favoritesDownload CitationsTrack CitationsPermissions ShareFacebookTwitterLinkedInRedditEmail TO THE EDITOR:Pelliccia and colleagues (1) described a subset of highly trained athletes with a striking enlargement of the left ventricular cavity. They found that 14% of study participants had left ventricular cavity dimensions compatible with primary dilated cardiomyopathy in the absence of systolic dysfunction, and they suggested that this resulted from an extreme physiologic adaptation to intensive athletic conditioning. Although all athletes in this series denied the use of illicit drugs, data on testing for anabolic steroids might have been informative. These drugs are commonly used to enhance athletic performance and muscle development, and athletes may have been ...References1. Pelliccia A, Culasso F, Di Paolo FM, Maron BJ. Physiologic left ventricular cavity dilatation in elite athletes. Ann Intern Med. 1999;130:23-31. LinkGoogle Scholar2. Sullivan ML, Martinez CM, Gennis P, Gallagher EJ. The cardiac toxicity of anabolic steroids. Prog Cardiovasc Dis. 1998;41:1-15. CrossrefMedlineGoogle Scholar3. Melchert RB, Welder AA. Cardiovascular effects of androgenic-anabolic steroids. Med Sci Sports Exerc. 1995;9:1252-62. Google Scholar4. Ferrera PC, Putnam DL, Verdile VP. Anabolic steroid use as the possible precipitant of dilated cardiomyopathy. Cardiology. 1997;88:218-20. CrossrefMedlineGoogle Scholar5. Ferenchick GS. Association of steroid abuse with cardiomyopathy in athletes. Am J Med. 1991;91:562. CrossrefMedlineGoogle Scholar Author, Article, and Disclosure InformationAffiliations: Rio de Janeiro RJ, 22461-090, Brazil (Ribeiro)Rio de Janeiro RJ, 22461-090, Brazil (Botanico) PreviousarticleNextarticle Advertisement FiguresReferencesRelatedDetailsSee AlsoPhysiologic Left Ventricular Cavity Dilatation in Elite Athletes Antonio Pelliccia , Franco Culasso , Fernando M. Di Paolo , and Barry J. Maron Physiologic Left Ventricular Cavity Dilatation in Elite Athletes Antonio Pelliccia and Barry J. Maron Metrics Cited byCardiac involvement in athletes infected by SARS COV-2 diseaseAdvanced cardiac imaging in athlete’s heart: unravelling the grey zone between physiologic adaptation and pathologyDrug-Related Diseases of the Coronary ArteryDrug-Related Diseases of the Coronary ArterySerial left ventricular adaptations in world-class professional cyclistsDrug-Related Diseases of the Coronary Artery 5 October 1999Volume 131, Issue 7Page: 546KeywordsDilated cardiomyopathyDrugsHypertensionIschemiaMusclesSportsSteroidsSudden cardiac death Issue Published: 5 October 1999 Copyright & PermissionsCopyright © 1999 by American College of Physicians. All Rights Reserved.PDF downloadLoading ...