Understanding the Increased Risk of Atrial Fibrillation in Athletes: a Case-control Study

NCT ID: NCT06844656

Last Updated: 2025-02-25

Basic Information

• Recruitment Status: NOT_YET_RECRUITING
• Total Enrollment: 200 participants
• Study Classification: OBSERVATIONAL
• Study Start Date: 2025-02-28
• Study Completion Date: 2026-10-10

Brief Summary

Exercise is beneficial to heart health, however, there appears to be a 'U' shaped relationship where too much exercise may increase the risk of an irregular heart rhythm, called atrial fibrillation. Endurance athletes may have up to a 2.5-fold higher risk of developing atrial fibrillation than non-athletic controls.

The mechanisms behind this increased risk of atrial fibrillation are not the well understood. It is thought to be a mixture of enlarged heart chambers, low resting heart rate, genetic predisposition and possibly scarring in the heart. In this study, the investigators will investigate the electrical activity changes in the heart, using a high-quality electrocardiogram (ECG) and relate this to changes in the heart size measured by ultrasound and MRI. Cardiopulmonary exercise testing will determine fitness (V̇O2 max) and assess the heart's electrical activity during exercise.

This will be a case-control study where athletes with and without atrial fibrillation will be recruited. The investigators hope the results of this study can improve our understanding of atrial fibrillation in athletes by associating atrial fibrillation with structural and electrical differences which may aid the prediction of future atrial fibrillation development and help guide more athlete-specific treatment pathways.

Conditions

Atrial Fibrillation (AF)

Study Design

• Observational Model Type: CASE_CONTROL
• Study Time Perspective: CROSS_SECTIONAL

Study Groups

AF Athletes

Athletes with atrial fibrillation.

No interventions assigned to this group

Non-AF Athletes

Athletes without atrial fibrillation.

No interventions assigned to this group

Eligibility Criteria

Inclusion Criteria

• ≥18 years of age at the time of enrolment, male and female.
• History of atrial fibrillation confirmed on ECG - either paroxysmal or persistent.
• Competitive athlete. Defined as:

1. Competed in endurance sports with a total cumulative moderate to high intensity of > 1500 hours.

2. Have participated in at least one competitive event in the last 10 years.

Exclusion Criteria

• Permanent atrial fibrillation.
• History of pre-existing cardiovascular disease :

1. Atherosclerotic disease: previous myocardial infarction, symptomatic coronary artery disease or Peripheral peripheral arterial disease

2. Left ventricular systolic dysfunction (EF < 45%)

3. Heart muscle disease: cardiomyopathies, Infiltrative diseases of the heart

4. Complex Congenital heart disease

5. Moderate or severe valvular disease

6. Uncontrolled hypertension (>180/100mmHg)

• Minimum Eligible Age: 18 Years
• Eligible Sex: ALL
• Accepts Healthy Volunteers: Yes

Sponsors

University of Leicester

OTHER

Sponsor Role: lead

Responsible Party

Responsibility Role: SPONSOR

Locations

Department of Cardiovascular Sciences. University of Leicester. Glenfield Hospital.

Leicester, , United Kingdom

Countries

United Kingdom

Central Contacts

Cai L Davies

Role: CONTACT

cld43@leicester.ac.uk

+447765791818

Facility Contacts

Cai L Davies

Role: primary

cld43@leicester.ac.uk

+447765791818

Other Identifiers

1001

Identifier Type: -

Identifier Source: org_study_id