A Comparative Study Among Elite Female Volleyball Players and the General Population: Are All Valvular Regurgitations Benign?

BACKGROUND

Despite the global popularity of volleyball as an Olympic sport, there is a relative paucity of research concerning its cardiovascular implications. Valvular regurgitation is a common finding among athletes and may lead to diagnostic ambiguity, particularly in elite female volleyball players.

OBJECTIVES

In this study, we conducted a comparative echocardiographic analysis between elite female volleyball athletes and a control group from the general population.

METHOD: Echocardiographic data of elite volleyball players from the Turkish Sultans League were compared with those of sedentary female controls. The frequency and severity of heart valve regurgitation were evaluated.

RESULTS

A total of 31 elite athletes were included in the study and compared to 37 age- and sex-matched healthy controls. Echocardiographic measurements revealed that the left ventricular end-diastolic diameter was higher in athletes than in controls (48.0 ± 2.6 mm vs. 43.7 ± 2.5 mm, p = 0.04). Additionally, grade 2 mitral (p = 0.04) and tricuspid (p = 0.003) valve insufficiencies were more frequently observed in elite athletes compared to the control group. However, aortic valve insufficiency was not observed as a characteristic of the athlete's heart. All participants were asymptomatic.

CONCLUSION

Elite female volleyball players demonstrated a higher prevalence of mitral and tricuspid valve insufficiencies compared to healthy controls. Moreover, the left ventricular end-diastolic diameter was significantly larger in athletes. However, no significant differences were observed in other echocardiographic parameters, and aortic valve insufficiency was not identified as a characteristic of the athlete's heart. Further studies are needed to provide more sport-specific data on these findings.