Regular physical activity and sport is important for enhanced physical fitness
and skill performance of deaf athletes. However there are few data in the literature
about their medical considerations. In this study we aimed to determine the
morphological findings and cardiac status of the deaf athletes and compare them
with the normal ones. Thirty deaf and twenty-two normal male athletes without
cardiovascular diseases participated in the study. Transthoracic echocardiography
and exercise stress testing were performed. Tissue Doppler imaging (TDI)-derived
myocardial performance index (MPI) was also evaluated. VO2 max and heart rate
recovery were calculated after exercise stress testing. Total cholesterol, LDL and
trigliseride levels were significantly increased in the deaf athletes, but they were
still found to be in normal ranges according to age and risk factor profile (p<
0.05). End-diastolic diameter and left ventricular mass index were found to be
significantly increased in the controls when compared with the deaf athletes (p<
0.001). Heart rate recovery at 1 minute did not show any difference in the deaf
group when compared with the control group (p> 0.05). MPI calculated from
TDI-derived variables was found to be 0.41±0.073 in the deaf group and 0.46±0.061
in the controls respectively and significantly decreased in the deaf (p < 0.05).
Beyond having a hearing loss, the deaf athletes have many cardiac structural and
functional differences from their normal counterparts. The factors that give rise to
these differences have to be revealed by further research
