Relationship Between Adaptive Morphological and Electrophysiological Remodeling of the Left Ventricle in Young Athletes After an 8-Month Period of Sports Training

Purpose: The aim of this investigation was to assess the influence of an 8-month physical training period on left ventricular voltages identified by resting ECG in relation to changes in left ventricle mass in adolescent athletes. Methods: The study encompassed 28 adolescents aged 13 years (14 boys and 14 girls) from a sports secondary school. Clinical assessment was performed on all athletes before and after 8 months of physical training. Results: Sokolov-Lyon voltage index, Cornell voltage index, and maximum spatial QRS vector magnitude demonstrated statistically significant decline during the study period. The specific potential of the myocardium also significantly decreased during 8 months of training. The Sokolov-Lyon voltage criterion for left ventricular hypertrophy was fulfilled in 9 athletes (32.1%) at the beginning of the observation and only in 3 athletes (10.7%) at the end of the study. On the other hand, mean left ventricular mass and mean left ventricular mass index significantly increased after long-term training. No statistically significant correlations were identified between relative changes in left ventricular mass and QRS voltages. Conclusion: An early period of intensive physical training in young athletes is associated with a decrease in QRS amplitude and a relative voltage deficit over the left ventricle.