Left ventricular hypertrophy differences in male professional runners and in young patients suffering from mild hypertension.

Aims: This study was executed to evaluate left ventricular (LV) geometry, diastolic and systolic function assessed by B‐ and M‐mode and pulsed Doppler echocardiography in a group of professional sprinter runners (group I), in young patients suffering from mild hypertension (group II) and in control young adults (group III). Twenty‐one male sprinter runners were checked during a period of training and compared with 19 young patients suffering from mild hypertension and 15 healthy controls matched for gender and body size. Findings: LV septum thickness, LV posterior wall thickness, LV ejection fraction, LV shortening fraction, midwall fractional shortening and stroke volume were significantly higher in runners compared to hypertensive patients and controls (p < 0.001). A significant increase of diastolic function parameters of the early peak flow velocity, E, and the early/late diastolic wave ratio, E/A, and in the isovolumic relaxation time or in the E velocity deceleration time wave was observed in hypert...