Echocardiographic data in hungarian top-level water polo players.
OBJECTIVE
Water polo is a sport involving extremely intense exercise training that might be expected to result in major cardiac adaptations. The purpose of our study was to evaluate cardiac size, determine VO(2max) of top-level water polo players, and compare the findings with those of other top-level athletes.


METHODS
Treadmill VO(2max) and 2D guided M-mode and Doppler echocardiographic data were obtained on players (N = 15) of the Olympic champion (Sydney 2000) Hungarian team and compared with data of Hungarian sedentary subjects (N = 19), and top-level endurance (N = 16) and power athletes (N = 15).


RESULTS
Aerobic power of the water polo players was significantly lower (57.8 +/- 12.3 mL.min(-1).kg(-1)) than that of endurance athletes (70.9 +/- 8.9), higher than sedentary controls (49.7 +/- 4.3), and not different from that of power athletes (50.5 +/- 6.0). Body size related mean left ventricular wall thickness (LVWT/BSA(0.5)) was the highest in the water polo players (16.8 +/- 1.5 vs 15.9 +/- 1.1 in endurance, 14.5 +/- 1.0 in the power athletes, and 12.8 +/- 0.6 mm.m in nonathletes). Left ventricular muscle mass (LVMM/BSA(1.5)) was higher in the water polo players (115 +/- 22 g.m) than in power athletes (86 +/- 12) or nonathletes (74 +/- 9) and similar to that of endurance athletes (112 +/- 15). Resting heart rate was lower in the water polo players (55.1 +/- 9.7 beats.m(-1)) and endurance athletes (59.3 +/- 10.6) than in power athletes (66.0 +/- 16.1) or in sedentary subjects (72.9 +/- 10.9).


CONCLUSIONS
Results indicate that high-level water polo results in marked cardiac hypertrophy that involves predominantly an increase of wall thickness, and in a VO(2max) lower than that of endurance athletes but similar to those of basketball and soccer players.
Pavlik
Gábor
G
Department of Health Sciences and Sports Medicine, Faculty of Physical Education and Sports Sciences, Semmelweis University, H-1123, Alkotás u. 44, H-1525, POB 69, Budapest, Hungary. pavlik@mail.hupe.hu
Kemény
Dénes
D
Kneffel
Zsuzsanna
Z
Petrekanits
Máté
M
Horváth
Patrícia
P
Sidó
Zoltán
Z
D000328:Adult; D001794:Blood Pressure / Q000502:physiology; D001830:Body Surface Area; D004452:Echocardiography; D006339:Heart Rate / Q000502:physiology; D006801:Humans; D006814:Hungary / Q000453:epidemiology; D017379:Hypertrophy, Left Ventricular / Q000000981:diagnostic imaging / Q000503:physiopathology; D009200:Myocardial Contraction / Q000502:physiology; D010101:Oxygen Consumption / Q000502:physiology; D010807:Physical Endurance / Q000502:physiology; D012016:Reference Values; D012916:Soccer; D013318:Stroke Volume / Q000502:physiology; D013550:Swimming