Functional heart capacity in athletes with different levels of blood pressure in the Republic of Sakha (Yakutia)

Objective: to evaluate the reserve capacity of the heart in athletes with different levels of blood pressure in the Republic of Sakha (Yakutia). Material and Methods. 205 males of Yakut nationality aged 18 to 30 years old were examined (average age was 22.2±4.04), 147 of them were professional athletes, 58 control persons. Anthropometry was performed in all subjects, measurement of office blood pressure levels, ambulatory monitoring of blood pressure, echocardiography, bioimpedansometry, genetic research. Results. In our study, the masked hypertension was detected in 40.8% of the athletes, and more often observed in athletes with the "master of sports" qualification (x2=5.68, df=1, p=0.013)and does not depend on the orientation of the training activity (kind of sport) (x2=2.09, df=1, p=0.107). Despite the same sports experience and orientation of training activity, athletes with masked hypertension have low values of heart stroke volume (p=0.033) and, accordingly, heart stroke index (p=0.041), a high double product, and high left ventricle (LV) wall thickness, LV myocardial mass index and a decrease in the end-diastolic volume of the left ventricle compared with athletes with a normal blood pressure level. Conclusion. In athletes with masked hypertension, a decrease in the reserve capacity of the heart and a less economical mode of work at rest were noted, as evidenced by the indicators of central hemodynamics and the structural and functional parameters of the LV.