Physical activity and right ventricular structure and function. The MESA-Right Ventricle Study.
BACKGROUND
Intense exercise in elite athletes is associated with increased left ventricular (LV) and right ventricular (RV) mass and volumes. However, the effect of physical activity on the RV in an older community-based population is unknown.


OBJECTIVE
We studied the association between levels of physical activity in adults and RV mass and volumes.


METHODS
The Multi-Ethnic Study of Atherosclerosis (MESA) performed cardiac magnetic resonance imaging on community-based participants without clinical cardiovascular disease. RV volumes were determined from manually contoured endocardial margins. RV mass was determined from the difference between epicardial and endocardial volumes multiplied by the specific gravity of myocardium. Metabolic equivalent-minutes/day were calculated from the self-reported frequency, duration, and intensity of physical activity.


RESULTS
The study sample (n = 1,867) was aged 61.8 ± 10 years, 48% male, 44% white, 27% African American, 20% Hispanic, and 9% Chinese. Higher levels of moderate and vigorous physical activity were linearly associated with higher RV mass (P = 0.02) after adjusting for demographics, anthropometrics, smoking, cholesterol, diabetes mellitus, hypertension, and LV mass. Higher levels of intentional exercise (physical activity done for the sole purpose of conditioning or fitness) were nonlinearly associated with RV mass independent of LV mass (P = 0.03). There were similar associations between higher levels of physical activity and larger RV volumes.


CONCLUSIONS
Higher levels of physical activity in adults were associated with greater RV mass independent of the associations with LV mass; similar results were found for RV volumes. Exercise-associated RV remodeling may have important clinical implications.
Aaron
Carrie P
CP
Department of Medicine, Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine, Baltimore, Maryland, USA.
Tandri
Harikrishna
H
Barr
R Graham
RG
Johnson
W Craig
WC
Bagiella
Emilia
E
Chahal
Harjit
H
Jain
Aditya
A
Kizer
Jorge R
JR
Bertoni
Alain G
AG
Lima
João A C
JA
Bluemke
David A
DA
Kawut
Steven M
SM
D015444:Exercise / Q000502:physiology; D005260:Female; D006352:Heart Ventricles / Q000033:anatomy & histology*; D006801:Humans; D016014:Linear Models; D008279:Magnetic Resonance Imaging; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D009043:Motor Activity / Q000502:physiology*; D009929:Organ Size / Q000502:physiology; D016278:Ventricular Function, Right / Q000502:physiology*
Am J Cardiol. 2010 Jul 1;106(1):110-6
20609657
Am J Cardiol. 1980 Feb;45(2):244-52
7355734
Eur Respir J. 2009 Sep;34(3):669-75
19720810
Am J Epidemiol. 2002 Nov 1;156(9):871-81
12397006
Am Heart J. 2007 Nov;154(5):937-42
17967601
Heart Vessels. 2002 Jul;16(5):175-80
12181590
Am J Epidemiol. 2009 Feb 15;169(4):444-54
19075250
J Am Coll Cardiol. 2002 Nov 20;40(10):1856-63
12446071
Chest. 2010 Jan;137(1):138-45
19741060
J Comput Assist Tomogr. 2006 May-Jun;30(3):426-32
16778617
Am J Physiol. 1982 Dec;243(6):H856-61
6216815
Circ Res. 2003 Jun 13;92(11):1171-5
12805233
Heart Vessels. 2005 Jul;20(4):147-52
16025363
Circ Res. 1983 Jan;52(1):57-64
6848210
J Womens Health Gend Based Med. 1999 Jul-Aug;8(6):805-13
10495261
Circulation. 2006 Oct 3;114(14):1482-9
16982941
Eur Respir J. 2009 Oct;34(4):888-94
19324955
Circulation. 2000 Jan 25;101(3):336-44
10645932
J Am Coll Cardiol. 2006 Dec 5;48(11):2285-92
17161261
Cardiovasc Intervent Radiol. 2009 May;32(3):601-2
19137370
AJR Am J Roentgenol. 2006 Jun;186(6 Suppl 2):S357-65
16714609
Hypertension. 2007 May;49(5):962-70
17389260
Scand J Med Sci Sports. 2008 Jun;18(3):354-9
18067524
Am J Respir Crit Care Med. 2009 Sep 1;180(5):407-14
19542480
N Engl J Med. 2008 Mar 27;358(13):1370-80
18367740
J Appl Physiol (1985). 2008 Apr;104(4):1121-8
18096751
Circulation. 2009 Jul 7;120(1):42-9
19546388
Am J Physiol Lung Cell Mol Physiol. 2005 Mar;288(3):L419-25
15695542
Heart. 2010 Jan;96(1):42-8
19858139
J Mol Cell Cardiol. 1985 Jun;17(6):587-95
3160865
Cardiovasc Res. 2001 Jun;50(3):495-508
11376625
J Am Coll Cardiol. 2008 Dec 16;52(25):2148-55
19095132