Young “athlete’s hearts” and isolated systolic hypertension: can “athlete’s genes” underlie their relationship? Results from the pilot study

Introduction. Engaging in intense aerobic exercises can lead to a specific; nonpathological condition known as isolated systolic hypertension or “athlete’s heart”; characterized by elevated systolic blood pressure. The side effects of the heart’s response to intense training can be attributed to individual genetic factors. The aim. To analyze a minimal set of polymorphic gene variants in relation to personal differences in hemodynamic parameters among athletes and a control group of untrained individuals. Methods. The study cohort comprised 98 participants who met the specified inclusion criteria. All subjects were male individuals aged between 18 and 30 years; actively engaged in professional sports for a minimum of four years and free from serious medical conditions. Individuals were examined at Republican Autonomous Healthcare Institution of Karelia “Medical and Physical Education Dispensary” and grouped according to sports disciplines. Comprehensive measurements of key anthropometric parameters were conducted; along with an assessment of the functional state of the cardiovascular system at rest. The genetic analysis was performed using DNA extracted from blood samples. ACTN3; ACE; PPARA and BDKRB2 gene variants associated with heart development and functioning were studied by PCR. Statistical analysis was performed using the statistical package SPSS version 22.0 (IBM; Armonk; USA). Results. I/D ACE gene variant was distinctly associated with power-oriented training compared to speed-oriented and endurance-oriented athletes. The combination of dominant alleles from studied genes occurred to be predictor of higher systolic blood pressure in power-oriented athletes. Conclusion. We found that genetic variants may affect to the development of training-specific and mostly disadvantageous characteristics of body composition. Three polymorphic gene variants could independently predict heart remodeling and future health complications in young athletes.