Women marathon runners had minimal coronary artery calcium counts, lower coronary artery plaque prevalence, and less calcified plaque volume compared with sedentary women. Developing coronary artery plaque in long-term women marathon runners appears related to older age and more cardiac risk factors, although the runners with coronary artery plaque had accumulated significantly more years running marathons.

Right ventricular (RV) function strongly associates with mortality in patients with pulmonary arterial hypertension (PAH). Current methods to determine RV function require temporal measurements of pressure and volume. The aim of the study was to investigate the feasibility of using right heart catheterization (RHC) measurements to estimate systolic and diastolic RV function. RV pressure and volume points were fit to P = α(eβV-1) to assess diastolic stiffness coefficient (β) and end-diastolic elastance (Eed). Single-beat methods were used to assess RV contractility (Ees). The effects of a non-zero unstressed RV volume (V0), RHC-derived stroke volume (SVRHC), and normalization of the end-diastolic volume (EDV) on estimates of β, Eed, and Ees were tested using Bland–Altman analysis in an incident PAH cohort (n = 32) that had both a RHC and cardiac magnetic resonance (CMR) test. RHC-derived measures of RV function were used to detect the effect of prostacyclin therapy in an incident PAH cohort and the severity of PAH in prevalent PAH (n = 21). A non-zero V0 had a minimal effect on β with a small bias and limits of agreement (LOA). Stroke volume (SV) significantly influenced estimates of β and Ees with a large LOA. Normalization of EDV had minimal effect on both β and Eed. RHC-derived β and Eed increased due to the severity of PAH and decreased due to three months of prostacyclin therapy. It is feasible to detect therapeutic changes in specific stiffness and elastic properties of the RV from signal-beat pressure-volume loops by using RHC-derived SV and normalizing RV EDV.

Among experienced males who have run marathons for 26-34 yr and completed between 27 and 171 marathons, CAC score is related to CAD risk factors and not the number of marathons run or years of running. This suggests that among long-term marathoners, more endurance exercise is not associated with an increased risk of CAC.

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