Arrhythmias & electrophysiologyCase-control study
Exercise blood pressure response does not differentiate endurance athletes with paroxysmal atrial fibrillation
- Case-control study
- age- and sex-matched
Authors' conclusion
In endurance athletes, neither AF nor left atrial dilation was associated with higher exercise BP responses.
Study context
- Population
- Endurance-trained athletes without hypertension, undergoing resting echocardiography and cardiopulmonary exercise testing with automated blood pressure (BP) measurementsmatched
- Participants
- 178 athletes
- Comparison
- Endurance athletes with paroxysmal atrial fibrillation (AF) vs without AF
- AFn = 89
- No AFn = 89reference
- Outcome
- Exercise BP response (SBPmax, DBPmax, SBP/W-slope, DBP/W-slope, SBPmax/W-ratio) and association with left atrial enlargement and AF
Main finding
As reported in the abstract
Maximal SBP (SBPmax)
AF vs No AF: P = 0.54 · AF vs No AF: P = 0.84 · AF vs No AF: P = 0.022 · AF vs No AF: P = 0.63 · AF vs No AF: P = 0.82
Observational data: associations, not effects.
Further findings
Left atrial volume index (LAVi)
P < 0.001
Resting SBP
P = 0.018
Resting DBP
P = 0.090
Years of training and peak oxygen uptake
- Similar years of training
- P = 0.83
- Similar peak oxygen uptake
- P = 0.34
Original publication
Exercise blood pressure response does not differentiate endurance athletes with paroxysmal atrial fibrillation. Eur J Prev Cardiol. Published 10 March 2026. doi:10.1093/eurjpc/zwag136
Summarised from the published abstract; every number is checked against it