Abstract des Autors

After a short historical remark the development of athletes heart in childhood is described. Within 2 years significant differences were observed between endurance-trained (swimming) and untrained girls and boys determined by X-ray and echocardiographical examinations. The limits of the physiological size in relation to body weight were not exceeded within 10 years of longitudinal studies. A second point deals with athletes heart from physiological and clinical viewpoints. The largest healthy heart ever found in our examinations of athletes had a size of 1700 ml. Sixteen years after stopping the active career it was reduced to 950 ml without a pathological finding. A third chapter covers the blood supply of internal organs during exercise combined with air or oxygen breathing. In this connection liver, kidneys, heart, lungs, and brain have been investigated. Exercise augmented also blood flow of the brain in relation to the work rate (at 100 W a 27 increase in grey matter flow of the right hemisphere). A fourth chapter deals with new hormonal and neurohormonal aspects related to the cardiovascular system. Verf.-Referat (gekuerzt)