Ascending Aortic Dimensions in Former National Football League Athletes.

ABSTRACT:

Background

Ascending aortic dimensions are slightly larger in young competitive athletes compared with sedentary controls, but rarely >40 mm. Whether this finding translates to aortic enlargement in older, former athletes is unknown.

Methods and results

This cross-sectional study involved a sample of 206 former National Football League (NFL) athletes compared with 759 male subjects from the DHS-2 (Dallas Heart Study-2; mean age of 57.1 and 53.6 years, respectively, P<0.0001; body surface area of 2.4 and 2.1 m², respectively, P<0.0001). Midascending aortic dimensions were obtained from computed tomographic scans performed as part of a NFL screening protocol or as part of the DHS. Compared with a population-based control group, former NFL athletes had

SUBMITTER: Gentry JL 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC5728154 | biostudies-literature | 2017 Nov

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature