Cardiovascular load of competitive golf in cardiac patients and healthy controls

Purpose: Sports in cardiovascular patients (CVP) should serve for risk fact or management, increase of exercise capacity, and reintegration into daily Life. Competition of cardiac patients with healthy sportsmen is often disco uraged and thus reintegration hampered. Golf. with its endurance component and exceptional rules (e.g., the handicap) should be an alternative. Method s: In 20 male golfers (65.2 +/- 6.1 yr 1.4 +/- 0.3 W.kg(-1) body weight (co ngruent to 4.8 METs)) with cardiovascular diseases and eight controls (C) ( 62 +/- 5 yr, 2 +/- 0.4 W.kg(-1) body weight (congruent to 6.9 METs)), the p erformance assessed in the laboratory (ergospirometry, serum lactate) allow ed for comparison of the cardiovascular load on the golf course (lactate, H olter monitoring, blood pressure, urine catecholamines). Results: In compar ison with in the hospital, resting heart rates were significantly (P < 0.00 1) elevated in both groups immediately before the tournament (CVP: 76.1 +/- 10.8 vs 90.1 +/- 8.6 bpm; C: 74.8 +/- 6.3 vs 923 +/- 9.7 bpm). On the cour se, the mean heart rates of the patients were closer (P < 0.01) to the anae robic threshold (105.4 +/- 11.0 vs 115.3 +/- 10.8 bpm) in comparison with c ontrols (100.5 +/- 7.3 vs 125.6 +/- 16.6 bpm) corresponding to 0.9 +/- 0.3 W.kg(-1) (congruent to 3.1 METs) or 76.0 +/- 13.1% (V) over dot O-2max (CVP ) and to 0.9 +/- 0.2 W.kg(-1) (congruent to 3.1 METs) or 55.3 +/- 9.1% (V) over dot O-2max (C). Serum lactate levels were 1.36 +/- 0.7 mmol.L-1 (congr uent to 12.4 +/- 6.4 mg.dL(-1)) (CVP) and 1.1 +/- 0.4 mmol.L-1 (congruent t o 9.1 +/- 3.6 mg.dL(-1)) (C). In patients, arrhythmias were lower in quanti ty and quality (LOWN) in comparison with other activities as registered by means of the 24-Holter-ECG. Conclusion: In cardiovascular patients, competi tive golf reaches an intensity that may positively influence cardiovascular risk factors, depending on the type of the course and may provide patients the desired integration with healthy sportsmen.