Background: With the increased training loads at very early ages in European elite youth soccer, there is an interest to analyse coronary artery remodelling due to high-intensity exercise.
Design and methods: Prospective echocardiographic study in 259 adolescent elite male soccer players and 48 matched controls.
Results: The mean age was 12.7 ± 0.63 years in soccer players and 12.6 ± 0.7 years in controls (p > 0.05). Soccer players had significant greater indexed left ventricular mass (93 ± 13 g/m2 versus 79 ± 12 g/m2, p = 0.001). Both coronary arteries origin could be identified in every participant. In soccer players, the mean diameter of the left main coronary artery was 3.67 mm (SD ± 0.59) and 2.61 mm (SD ± 0.48) for right main coronary artery. Controls showed smaller mean luminal diameter (left main coronary artery, p = 0.01; right main coronary artery, p = 0.025). In soccer players, a total of 91% (n = 196) and in controls a total of 94% (n = 45) showed left main coronary artery z scores within the normal range: -2.0 to 2.0. In right main coronary artery, a pattern of z score values distribution was comparable (soccer players 94%, n = 202 vs. controls 84%, n = 40). A subgroup of soccer players had supernormal z score values (>2.0 to 2.5) for left main coronary artery (9%, n = 19, p = 0.01) and right main coronary artery (6%, n = 10, p = 0.025), respectively.
Conclusion: Elite soccer training in early adolescence may be a stimulus strong enough to develop increased coronary arteries diameters. In soccer players, a coronary artery z score >2.0-2.5 might reflect a physiologic response induced by multiannual high-intensity training.
Keywords: Sudden cardiac death; adolescent; athletes; coronary artery; echocardiography; soccer.