title: Defining cardiac adaptations and safety of endurance training in patients with m.3243A>G-related mitochondrial disease.
abstract: BACKGROUND
  Cardiac hypertrophic remodelling and systolic dysfunction are common in patients with mitochondrial disease and independent predictors of morbidity and early mortality. Endurance exercise training improves symptoms and skeletal muscle function, yet cardiac adaptations are unknown.
  
  
  RESULTS
  Before and after 16-weeks of training, exercise capacity, cardiac magnetic resonance imaging and phosphorus-31 spectroscopy, disease burden, fatigue, quality of life, heart rate variability (HRV) and blood pressure variability (BPV) were assessed in 10 adult patients with m.3243A>G-related mitochondrial disease, and compared to age- and gender-matched sedentary control subjects. At baseline, patients had increased left ventricular mass index (LVMI, p<0.05) and LV mass to end-diastolic volume ratio, and decreased longitudinal shortening and myocardial phosphocreatine/adenosine triphosphate ratio (all p<0.01). Peak arterial-venous oxygen difference (p<0.05), oxygen uptake (VO2) and power were decreased in patients (both p<0.01) with no significant difference in cardiac power output. All patients remained stable and completed ≥80% sessions. With training, there were similar proportional increases in peak VO2, anaerobic threshold and work capacity in patients and controls. LVMI increased in both groups (p<0.01), with no significant effect on myocardial function or bioenergetics. Pre- and post-exercise training, HRV and BPV demonstrated increased low frequency and decreased high frequency components in patients compared to controls (all p<0.05).
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  Patients with mitochondrial disease and controls achieved similar proportional benefits of exercise training, without evidence of disease progression, or deleterious effects on cardiac function. Reduced exercise capacity is largely mediated through skeletal muscle dysfunction at baseline and sympathetic over-activation may be important in pathogenesis.
authors.affiliation: Wellcome Trust Centre for Mitochondrial Research, Institute for Ageing and Health, Newcastle University, Newcastle upon Tyne NE2 4HH, UK; Cardiothoracic Centre, Freeman Hospital, Newcastle upon Tyne Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust, Newcastle upon Tyne NE7 7DN, UK. Electronic address: m.g.d.bates@newcastle.ac.uk.
authors.forename: Matthew G D
authors.initials: MG
authors.lastname: Bates
authors.forename: Jane H
authors.initials: JH
authors.lastname: Newman
authors.forename: Djordje G
authors.initials: DG
authors.lastname: Jakovljevic
authors.forename: Kieren G
authors.initials: KG
authors.lastname: Hollingsworth
authors.forename: Charlotte L
authors.initials: CL
authors.lastname: Alston
authors.forename: Pawel
authors.initials: P
authors.lastname: Zalewski
authors.forename: Jacek J
authors.initials: JJ
authors.lastname: Klawe
authors.forename: Andrew M
authors.initials: AM
authors.lastname: Blamire
authors.forename: Guy A
authors.initials: GA
authors.lastname: MacGowan
authors.forename: Bernard D
authors.initials: BD
authors.lastname: Keavney
authors.forename: John P
authors.initials: JP
authors.lastname: Bourke
authors.forename: Andrew
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Schaefer
authors.forename: Robert
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: McFarland
authors.forename: Julia L
authors.initials: JL
authors.lastname: Newton
authors.forename: Douglass M
authors.initials: DM
authors.lastname: Turnbull
authors.forename: Robert W
authors.initials: RW
authors.lastname: Taylor
authors.forename: Michael I
authors.initials: MI
authors.lastname: Trenell
authors.forename: Gráinne S
authors.initials: GS
authors.lastname: Gorman
mesh_terms: D000222:Adaptation, Physiological / Q000502:physiology*; D000328:Adult; D002302:Cardiac Output / Q000502:physiology; D015331:Cohort Studies; D005080:Exercise Test / Q000379:methods*; D017079:Exercise Tolerance / Q000502:physiology; D005260:Female; D005500:Follow-Up Studies; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D028361:Mitochondrial Diseases / Q000235:genetics* / Q000503:physiopathology / Q000628:therapy*; D010807:Physical Endurance / Q000502:physiology*; D017354:Point Mutation / Q000235:genetics*
keywords: Autonomic function; Cardiac magnetic resonance imaging; Cardiac magnetic resonance spectroscopy; Cardio-pulmonary exercise testing; Endurance exercise; Mitochondrial DNA