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April 10, 2026European Heart Journal

Masters athletes with abnormal cardiovascular findings: a clinical consensus statement of the European Association of Preventive Cardiology of the ESC and the American College of Cardiology

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Population

Masters athletes with abnormal cardiovascular findings

Design

Guideline

Key result

Masters athletes exhibit a higher prevalence of cardiovascular abnormalities, such as atrial arrhythmias and coronary atherosclerosis, compared to less active peers.

Authors

TEThijs M H EijsvogelsJKJulie KimVAVincent L. Aengevaeren

Discussion

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Key expert perspectives

Captured external expert commentary on this paper, strongest first. Original sources are linked where available.

TEThijs EijsvogelsExercise physiologist, Radboudumc

“Exercise is healthy, but athletes are not immune to cardiovascular disease.”

RadboudumcNews Coverage
GCGuido ClaessenCardiologist, Jessa Hospital Hasselt

“In addition to typical complaints such as chest pain or pronounced shortness of breath during exertion, a sudden, unexplained decline in athletic performance can be a sign of coronary artery calcification.”

Jessa HospitalNews Coverage
JKJonathan KimDirector of sports cardiology, Emory University

“There's too many masters athletes out there for only sports cardiologists to take care of. Preventive cardiologists, [electrophysiologists], and interventionalists, they're also going to take care of masters athletes, and hopefully this provides a guide.”

Emory University School of MedicineNews Coverage

Overview

This joint EAPC/ESC and ACC clinical consensus statement provides expert guidance on managing cardiovascular abnormalities in Masters athletes, addressing the limitations of applying standard guidelines to highly trained individuals.

Key Points

  • The statement aims to address cardiovascular abnormalities in Masters athletes, highlighting management complexities.
  • Review of existing guidelines and evidence regarding cardiovascular findings in Masters athletes.
  • Expert consensus on diagnostic assessment, management, and prognosis of specific cardiovascular conditions.
  • Discussion of clinical challenges and ongoing controversies surrounding Masters athletes' cardiovascular health.
  • Higher prevalence of cardiovascular abnormalities noted in Masters athletes compared to less active individuals.
  • Identified unique management challenges and differences in symptoms compared to sedentary patients.
  • Call for future studies, including randomized controlled trials to validate findings and improve clinical practices.

Structured PICO

P
Population
Masters athletes with abnormal cardiovascular findings (e.g., atrial arrhythmias, coronary atherosclerosis, aortic dilatation, myocardial fibrosis)
I
Intervention
Diagnostic assessment, management, and prognosis strategies based on expert consensus

This joint EAPC/ESC and ACC clinical consensus statement provides expert guidance on managing cardiovascular abnormalities in Masters athletes, addressing the limitations of applying standard guidelines to highly trained individuals.

Cite This Study

Eijsvogels et al. (2026) studied this question. Masters athletes exhibit a higher prevalence of cardiovascular abnormalities, such as atrial arrhythmias and coronary atherosclerosis, compared to less active peers.

synapsesocial.com/papers/69d896676c1944d70ce07d3chttps://doi.org/10.1093/eurheartj/ehag040
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Also Consider

Synapse has enriched 5 closely related papers on similar clinical questions. Consider them for comparative context:

  1. 1Cardiovascular health in master athletes engaged in competitive sport2025
  2. 2Cardiovascular Remodeling and Potential Controversies in Master Endurance Athletes—A Narrative Review2025
  3. 3Assessing the safety of exercise stress testing alone to screen for coronary artery disease in master athletes updated findings from a contemporary cohort2026
  4. 4The diagnostic accuracy of contemporary ECG interpretation criteria in risk stratification of master athletes2025 · 1 citations
  5. 5Epidemiology, pathogenesis and management of atrial fibrillation in athletes - a narrative review2025