PEDIATRICS Vol. 79 No. 5 May 1987, pp. 800-804
This Article
Right arrow Full Text (PDF)
Right arrow P3Rs: Submit a response
Right arrow Alert me when this article is cited
Right arrow Alert me when P3Rs are posted
Right arrow Alert me if a correction is posted
Services
Right arrow E-mail this article to a friend
Right arrow Similar articles in this journal
Right arrow Similar articles in PubMed
Right arrow Alert me to new issues of the journal
Right arrow Add to My File Cabinet
Right arrow Download to citation manager
Right arrow reprints & permissions
Citing Articles
Right arrow Citing Articles via HighWire
Right arrow Citing Articles via CrossRef
Right arrow Citing Articles via Google Scholar
Google Scholar
Right arrow Articles by Rowland, T. W.
Right arrow Articles by Siconolfi, S. F.
Right arrow Search for Related Content
PubMed
Right arrow PubMed Citation
Right arrow Articles by Rowland, T. W.
Right arrow Articles by Siconolfi, S. F.

'Athlete's Heart' in Prepubertal Children

Thomas W. Rowland MD1, Brian C. Delaney BS1, and Steven F. Siconolfi PhD1

1 From the Department of Pediatrics, Baystate Medical Center, and the Department of Movement Science, Springfield College, Springfield, Massachusetts

Bradycardia, cardiomegaly, heart murmurs, and ECG changes are typically observed in adult endurance athletes, but frequency of such changes among children involved in sports training is unclear. Pediatricians need to be aware of whether these features of the " athlete's heart" occur in their patients, because such features may mimic those of cardiac disease. Fourteen prepubertal competitive male swimmers were evaluated by physical examination, ECG and echocardiogram, and findings were compared to those of a group of active but nontrained control boys. Lower resting heart rates and echocardiographic manifestations of chronic left ventricular volume overload were observed among the swimmers. These changes were not manifest on physical examination, however, and no significant ECG alterations were identified among the athletes. These findings indicate that, although features of the athlete's heart are present in children involved in endurance training, seldom will these findings simulate heart disease or be apparent on routine clinical examination.

Key Words: athlete's heart

Accepted on October 29, 1986




This article has been cited by other articles:


Home page
 HeartHome page
J Makan, S Sharma, S Firoozi, G Whyte, P G Jackson, and W J McKenna
Physiological upper limits of ventricular cavity size in highly trained adolescent athletes
Heart, April 1, 2005; 91(4): 495 - 499.
[Abstract] [Full Text] [PDF]

Home page
 PediatricsHome page
Committee on Sports Medicine and Fitness
Intensive Training and Sports Specialization in Young Athletes
Pediatrics, July 1, 2000; 106(1): 154 - 157.
[Abstract] [Full Text]