Exercise and Cardiac Function by Tissue Doppler Imaging. The Copenhagen City Heart Study

Introduction: TDI (Tissue Doppler Imaging) is a sensitive marker of myocardial dysfunction and mortality in heart disease and in the general population. Regular physical activity is associated with risk reduction in coronary heart disease and mortality. There is a need for studies to clarify whether exercise has beneficial effects on cardiac function.Hypothesis: Regular physical exercise is associated with better cardiac function measured by TDI in the general populationMethods: 2,162 persons from the general population were examined by echocardiography and TDI. Peak systolic (s'), early diastolic (e') and late diastolic (a') velocities were measured by color TDI. Longitudinal displacement (LD) was calculated from the velocity curve during ejection. Statistical tests were performed by linear univariate and multivariable regression analyses, in relation to age groups (lt;50years, 50-65 years, gt;65 years) and physical activity level: I (inactivity), II (light activity), III (moderate activity) and IV (high-level activity). These levels were graded from the physical activity questionnaire, which contained information about activity level at work and in leisure time.Results: Participants agedlt;50 years had a significantly higher level of e' and LD in the most active group: e'=11.0 (textpm standard deviation, SD=2.0), plt;0.001; LD=12.8 (SD=2.1), plt;0.003. This pattern remained significant after adjusting for sex, hypertension, diabetes, and ischaemic heart disease and after Bonferroni correction. For e', there was significant interaction between age and activity level (plt;0.001), which supports the findings of better cardiac function with increasing activity among the young age group.Conclusion: In the general population, the association between increasing level of exercise and better cardiac function was found only in the youngest age group ( lt;50 years old). Among the elder age groups higher level of activity was not correlated to better cardiac function.Author Disclosures: G. Joseph: None. P. Sogaard: Other Research Support; Modest; GE Healthcare. G. Nielsen: None. T. Biering-Sorensen: None. P. Schnohr: None. J. Skov Jensen: None. R. Mogelvang: Other Research Support; Modest; GE Healthcare.