Exercise is medicine! Although this premise is well established, how to maintain this “treatment” for various diseases during the COVID-19 pandemic? This has been a concern of all doctors in the world since exercise contributes to the control of cardiovascular diseases and other comorbidities recognized as risk factors for a worse outcome in COVID-19. Moreover, it has already been shown that higher cardiorespiratory fitness is inversely associated with the likelihood of hospitalization due to COVID-19. In addition to the hygiene […]

The disease caused by Coronavirus 2019 (COVID-19) is associated with significant mortality and morbidity, including pulmonary and cardiac adverse sequelae.1–3 It began in December 2019 in the city of Wuhan, and quickly became a pandemic, declared by the World Health Organization (WHO) on March 11 of 2019.4 By early September 2020, more than 28 million patients have been confirmed infected by COVID-19 in more than 200 countries.3 […]

Why we must exercise? Although this question has many answers, many other questions arise from it. Which are the benefits of exercising? How much exercise is good for health? Is high-intensity exercise better than moderate-intensity exercise? Are there risks in exercising? What to do if someone does not like to exercise? Do cardiologists know the literature on exercise and heart? These are sounding questions that should be covered to understand the real need of exercising. […]

Abstract Despite the health benefits of routine exercise, coronary artery disease (CAD) is common among older competitive athletes and is an important cause of sudden cardiac death. Athletes with suspected or confirmed CAD routinely undergo conventional coronary angiography involving the performance of invasive coronary physiological assessment using the fractional flow reserve (FFR) or the instantaneous-wave free ratio (iFR). Data defining the role of invasive coronary physiological assessment, while robust in general clinical populations, are untested among older competitive athletes with […]

Introduction Sudden cardiac death (SCD) related to sports activities is an unexpected and rare event, usually occurring in young and apparently healthy athletes. The main cause of SCD in young athletes (< 35 years old) is ventricular arrhythmia (VA) associated with arrhythmogenic disorders (e.g. hypertrophic cardiomyopathy, arrhythmogenic right ventricular cardiomyopathy - ARVC, channelopathies). Some of these conditions can be suspected by routine pre-participation clinical evaluation, while others remain undetectable even after careful screening.– This paper presents the case of a [...]

Cardiorespiratory fitness (CRF) is considered the gold standard for assessing aerobic performance among athletes and normal population and has recently been named as a clinical vital sign, being an essential indicator of cardiovascular and pulmonary function. Cardiorespiratory fitness is associated with lower risk of non-fatal and fatal cardiovascular disease (CVD) events, with studies demonstrating a consistent, inverse association between CRF and mortality even after adjustment for the traditional risk factor burden. Additionally, both maximal oxygen consumption (VO2max) and VO2 at […]

Abstract Background: Cardiac remodeling depends on the intensity, duration, and training method. Objective: To evaluate if the training performed in a Portuguese military special operations troop increases cardiac remodeling in a sample of young individuals who previously practiced competitive sports. Methods: A prospective study involving 76 military candidates for military special operations, 45 of whom previously practiced at competitive level (> 10 hours per week). Of these military athletes, only 17 successfully completed the course. The evaluation was performed at […]

Introduction Marfan syndrome (MFS) is an autosomal dominant hereditary disease mainly caused by mutations in the fibrillin-1 (FBN1) gene. It is characterized by the occurrence of thoracic aortic aneurysm and/or dissection, ectopia lentis, and systemic abnormalities. The highest risk of death associated with the syndrome is attributed to cardiovascular abnormalities, in particular, progressive aortic root aneurysm, leading to aortic dissection and rupture if not corrected surgically. The clinical diagnosis of MFS may be established by the revised Ghent nosology, although […]