TY  - JOUR
A1  - Haeusler, Karl Georg
A1  - Herm, Juliane
A1  - Kunze, Claudia
A1  - Krüll, Matthias
A1  - Brechtel, Lars
A1  - Lock, Jürgen
A1  - Hohenhaus, Marc
A1  - Heuschmann, Peter U.
A1  - Fiebach, Jochen B.
A1  - Haverkamp, Wilhelm
A1  - Endres, Matthias
A1  - Jungehulsing, Gerhard Jan
T1  - Rate of cardiac arrhythmias and silent brain lesions in experienced marathon runners: rationale, design and baseline data of the Berlin Beat of Running study
JF  - BMC Cardiovascular Disorders
N2  - Background: Regular exercise is beneficial for cardiovascular health but a recent meta-analysis indicated a relationship between extensive endurance sport and a higher risk of atrial fibrillation, an independent risk factor for stroke. However, data on the frequency of cardiac arrhythmias or (clinically silent) brain lesions during and after marathon running are missing. 
Methods/Design: In the prospective observational "Berlin Beat of Running" study experienced endurance athletes underwent clinical examination (CE), 3 Tesla brain magnetic resonance imaging (MRI), carotid ultrasound imaging (CUI) and serial blood sampling (BS) within 2-3 days prior (CE, MRI, CUI, BS), directly after (CE, BS) and within 2 days after (CE, MRI, BS) the 38\(^{th}\) BMW BERLIN-MARATHON 2011. All participants wore a portable electrocardiogram (ECG)-recorder throughout the 4 to 5 days baseline study period. Participants with pathological MRI findings after the marathon, troponin elevations or detected cardiac arrhythmias will be asked to undergo cardiac MRI to rule out structural abnormalities. A follow-up is scheduled after one year. 
Results: Here we report the baseline data of the enrolled 110 athletes aged 36-61 years. Their mean age was 48.8 \(\pm\) 6.0 years, 24.5% were female, 8.2% had hypertension and 2.7% had hyperlipidaemia. Participants have attended a mean of 7.5 \(\pm\) 6.6 marathon races within the last 5 years and a mean of 16 \(\pm\) 36 marathon races in total. Their weekly running distance prior to the 38\(^{th}\) BMW BERLIN-MARATHON was 65 \(\pm\) 17 km. Finally, 108 (98.2%) Berlin Beat-Study participants successfully completed the 38\(^{th}\) BMW BERLIN-MARATHON 2011. 
Discussion: Findings from the "Berlin Beats of Running" study will help to balance the benefits and risks of extensive endurance sport. ECG-recording during the marathon might contribute to identify athletes at risk for cardiovascular events. MRI results will give new insights into the link between physical stress and brain damage.
KW  - marathon running
KW  - cardiac arrhythmia
KW  - atrial fibrillation
KW  - physical activity
KW  - cardiovascular events
KW  - carotid artery
KW  - risk factor
KW  - stroke
KW  - exercise
KW  - death
KW  - metaanalysis
KW  - mechanisms
KW  - ECG-recording
KW  - magnetic resonance imaging
KW  - blood sampling
Y1  - 2012
U6  - http://nbn-resolving.de/urn/resolver.pl?urn:nbn:de:bvb:20-opus-133677
VL  - 12
IS  - 69
ER  -