title: Sex influence on myocardial function with exercise in adolescents.
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  Ventricular systolic functional response to exercise has been reported to be superior in adult men compared to women. This study explored myocardial responses to maximal upright progressive exercise in late pubertal males and females.
  
  
  METHODS
  Doppler echocardiographic techniques were utilized to estimate myocardial function response to a bout of progressive cycle exercise.
  
  
  RESULTS
  Systolic functional capacity, as indicated by ejection rate (12.5 +/- 2.8 and 13.1 +/- 1.0 [x10(-2)] ml s(-1) cm(-2) for boys and girls, respectively) and peak aortic velocity (208 +/- 45 and 196 +/- 12 cm s(-1), respectively) at maximal exercise, did not differ between the two groups. Similarly, peak values as well as increases in transmitral pressure gradient (mitral E flow velocity), ventricular relaxation (tissue Doppler imaging E'), and left ventricular filling pressure (E/E' ratio) as estimates of diastolic function were similar in males and females.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  This study failed to reveal qualitative or quantitative differences between adolescent boys and girls in ventricular systolic or diastolic functional responses to maximal cycle exercise.
authors.affiliation: Department of Pediatrics, Baystate Medical Center, Springfield, Massachusetts, USA. Thomas.rowland@bhs.org
authors.forename: Thomas
authors.initials: T
authors.lastname: Rowland
authors.forename: Viswanath
authors.initials: V
authors.lastname: Unnithan
authors.forename: Max
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Garrard
authors.forename: Denise
authors.initials: D
authors.lastname: Roche
authors.forename: Kathryn
authors.initials: K
authors.lastname: Holloway
authors.forename: Julie
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Sandoval
authors.forename: Simon
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Marwood
mesh_terms: D000293:Adolescent; D041923:Adolescent Development; D002302:Cardiac Output / Q000502:physiology*; D015150:Echocardiography, Doppler; D015444:Exercise / Q000502:physiology*; D005260:Female; D006339:Heart Rate / Q000502:physiology*; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D011627:Puberty; D012727:Sex Characteristics; D013318:Stroke Volume / Q000502:physiology*; D016277:Ventricular Function, Left / Q000502:physiology*