Arrhythmias & electrophysiology
Exercise blood pressure response does not differentiate endurance athletes with paroxysmal atrial fibrillation
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
Methodological detailsage- and sex-matched
- Age- and sex-matched
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.
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