Association between cardiovascular risk and coronary artery disease in Masters athletes
Year: 2021
Type: article
Study design: Observational Study
Abstract: Background: Studies have shown that coronary artery disease (CAD) is more prevalent in those with a lifelong exercise history compared to the general population and that cardiovascular risk scores (i.e., Framingham Risk Score (FRS)) underestimate the presence of CAD in Masters athletes (> 35 years old). Purpose: To establish whether physical activity intensity and volume in a highly active population contributes to the risk of CAD. Methods: Masters athletes (n=799) underwent yearly cardiovascular screening for five years, including, anthropometrics, blood pressure, blood lipids (to determine FRS), and a health survey. Participants with an abnormal screen underwent further evaluations. All variables of interest (age, sex, FRS, body mass index, LDL cholesterol, HDL cholesterol, family history, physical activity volume, lifetime training hours, history of hypertension) were aggregated up to the first diagnosis for those that were diagnosed and aggregated over the entire time period for those who were not diagnosed. Logistic regression analysis assessed the relationship between cardiovascular risk factors and CAD. Results: 81 (10%) Masters athletes were diagnosed with CAD over the study period. Increasing age (OR=1.05, 95%CI 1.00-1.09; p=0.038), FRS (%) (OR=1.09, 95%CI 1.03-1.16; p=0.003), and LDL cholesterol (mmol/L) (OR=1.71, 95% CI 1.22-2.40; p=0.002) were statistically significant in predicting the presence of CAD, whereas physical activity intensity and volume were not. Conclusions: These results support the utility of the cardiovascular risk score (FRS) in predicting CAD in Masters athletes, whereas physical activity/exercise participation does not. Funding: Canadian Institutes of Health Research (FRN: 157930), Natural Sciences and Engineering Research Council of Canada (RGPIN-2018-04613), and MITACs.
Authors: Morrison, Barbara, Isserow, Saul, MacDonald, Mackenzie, Cater, Carlee, Zwaiman, Ingrid, Taunton, Jack, McKinney, James, Warburton, Darren
Language: English
Subfield: Cardiology and Cardiovascular Medicine
Field: Medicine
Domain: Health Sciences
Open Access status: diamond
OpenAlex ID: W6961093767