title: Physical activity and right ventricular structure and function. The MESA-Right Ventricle Study.
abstract: 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.
authors.affiliation: Department of Medicine, Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine, Baltimore, Maryland, USA.
authors.forename: Carrie P
authors.initials: CP
authors.lastname: Aaron
authors.forename: Harikrishna
authors.initials: H
authors.lastname: Tandri
authors.forename: R Graham
authors.initials: RG
authors.lastname: Barr
authors.forename: W Craig
authors.initials: WC
authors.lastname: Johnson
authors.forename: Emilia
authors.initials: E
authors.lastname: Bagiella
authors.forename: Harjit
authors.initials: H
authors.lastname: Chahal
authors.forename: Aditya
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Jain
authors.forename: Jorge R
authors.initials: JR
authors.lastname: Kizer
authors.forename: Alain G
authors.initials: AG
authors.lastname: Bertoni
authors.forename: João A C
authors.initials: JA
authors.lastname: Lima
authors.forename: David A
authors.initials: DA
authors.lastname: Bluemke
authors.forename: Steven M
authors.initials: SM
authors.lastname: Kawut
mesh_terms: 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*
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