Effect of Aerobic Training and Detraining on Left Ventricular Dimensions and Diastolic Function in Prepubertal Boys and Girls

Purpose: The purpose of this study was to determine the effect of an aerobic training program on the left ventricular (LV) cardiac morphology and function of prepubertal children. Methods: Twenty-nine 10 - 11 year old boys and girls (TG) participated in a 13-week running program (3 × 1 h/week, intensity: > 80 % HR_max), 26, of the same age, served as a control group (CG). M-mode, 2-dimensional and pulsed-wave Doppler analyses were performed, during resting conditions, before and after the training period (T) as well as, for TG only, after 2 months of detraining (D). Results: LV internal chamber dimension increased (+ 4.6 %, p < 0.01) while wall thicknesses concomitantly decreased (- 10.7 %, p < 0.05) as a result of T. All cardiac morphological parameters returned to pretraining values after D. Doppler-derived measurements of LV diastolic filling performance were also significantly altered by T and D. A significant enhancement in the early diastolic passive LV filling with a concomitant reduction in the late diastolic active LV filling were in fact obtained after T. The training-induced bradycardia (- 7 beats · min^-1, p < 0.01) was probably responsible for the changes in the late characteristics of the diastolic active filling. All diastolic filling indexes returned to pretraining values after D. Systolic function indexes were not modified after either T or D. No changes were obtained for the overall LV morphological and functional variables after 13 weeks of normal life for CG. Conclusion: These findings indicate that cardiac morphological adaptations can occur in prepubertal children after several months of aerobic training. These alterations differ however, in some areas, to those classically reported in adults following endurance training programs where both an increase in LV size and mass exist. Our data likewise demonstrate that endurance training is able to induce favourable LV diastolic filling modifications, directed principally towards an enhancement in the early rapid filling inflow and a corresponding reduction in the atrial contribution to the total diastolic inflow.

Children, echocardiography, doppler, diastolic properties, endurance training.

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