Abstract

Introduction: An increased risk of atrial fibrillation (AF) has been demonstrated in high-performance athletes. Soluble vascular adhesion molecule-1 (sVCAM-1), a biomarker involved in inflammation and cardiac remodeling, is associated with the development of AF in the general population. However, the relationship between sVCAM-1 and left atrial (LA) remodeling has been poorly investigated in long-distance runners (LDR).Aim: To determine the association between LA remodeling and sVCAM-1 levels in LDR during the training period before a marathon race.Methods: Thirty-six healthy male LDR (37.0 +/- 5.3 years; 174.0 +/- 7.0 height; BMI: 23.8 +/- 2.8; V degrees O-2-peak: 56.5 +/- 7.3 mL center dot kg(-1)center dot min(-1)) were evaluated in this single-blind and cross-sectional study. The LDR were separated into two groups according to previous training levels: high-training (HT) (n = 18) >= 100 km center dot week(-1) and low-training (LT) (n = 18) >= 70 and 100 km center dot week(-1). Also, 18 healthy non-active subjects were included as a control group (CTR). In all participants, transthoracic echocardiography was performed. sVCAM-1 blood levels were measured baseline and immediately finished the marathon race in LDR.Results: HT showed increased basal levels of sVCAM-1 (651 +/- 350 vs. 440 +/- 98 ng center dot mL(-1) CTR, p = 0.002; and vs. 533 +/- 133 ng center dot mL(-1) LT; p = 0.003) and a post-marathon increase (Delta sVCAM-1) (651 +/- 350 to 905 +/- 373 ng center dot mL(-1); p = 0.002), that did not occur in LT (533 +/- 133 to 651 +/- 138 ng center dot mL(-1); p = 0.117). In LDR was a moderate correlation between LA volume and sVCAM-1 level (rho = 0.510; p = 0.001).Conclusions: In male long-distance runners, sVCAM-1 levels are directly associated with LA remodeling. Also, the training level is associated with basal sVCAM-1 levels and changes after an intense and prolonged exercise (42.2 km). Whether sVCAM-1 levels predict the risk of AF in runners remains to be established.