Objective: To determine the prevalence of coronary risk factors in Paralympic athletes and evaluate their risk of coronary events. Method: An observational prospective cross sectional study of 79 consecutive Brazilian Paralympic athletes (mean (SD) age 27.8 (6.7) years (median 26 years)). There were 56 men and 23 women, 67 with physical and 12 with visual disabilities. The occurrence of systemic hypertension, hypercholesterolaemia, diabetes mellitus, smoking, familial antecedents, obesity, and hypertriglyceridaemia was investigated. The risk of coronary events was calculated using the American Heart Association Coronary risk handbook, and also the 10 year probability of a coronary event using the Framingham risk score. Results: The prevalence of risk factors was: systemic hypertension, 11%; familial antecedents, 10%; smoking, 9%; hypertriglyceridaemia, 6%; hypercholesterolaemia, 1.3%; obesity, 4%; diabetes, 0%. They occurred in 51% of the Paralympic athletes: one factor (41%), two factors (4%), and three factors (6%). The risk of coronary events was absent in 80%, slight in 17%, and moderate in 3%. This could only be evaluated in 81% of the athletes, as 8% had amputations, 9% were young, and 2% had unknown familial antecedents. The Framingham risk score ranged from 214 to +6, predicting a 10 year probability of a coronary event of 3.3 (3.8)%. Conclusion: This study shows a reasonably high prevalence of coronary risk factors (51%), despite a low probability of coronary events in Paralympic athletes. The lipid and blood pressure profiles were similar in ambulatory and wheelchair athletes. C oronary heart disease (CHD) is an important cause of mortality in the world. The main coronary risk factors (CRFs) are cigarette smoking, hypercholesterolaemia, high density lipoprotein (HDL)-hypocholesterolaemia, systemic hypertension, familial antecedents of premature CHD, diabetes mellitus, hypertriglyceridaemia, obesity, and physical inactivity.Active populations have a low prevalence of CRFs. Sedentary disabled people have a higher occurrence of CHD.1 Paralympic athletes constitute a special group of athletes. They face the sort of emotional stress and economic difficulties that can endanger health. They also have associated diseases and cardiovascular overload caused by abnormal walking.This report evaluates the prevalence of CRFs and the coronary risk in a prospective cross sectional study in Brazilian Paralympic athletes.As far as we know, this is the first report on CRFs in Paralympic athletes with different disabilities.
METHODS
ParticipantsEighty athletes, 59 men (75%) and 21 women (25%) (mean (SD) age 27.8 (6.7) years (range 15-49)) were chosen by the Brazilian Paralympics Committee for the Brazilian team. One athlete was excluded because he lived abroad. The sports represented were football (18), swimming (15), jumping (11), sprinting (six), judo (four), marathon running (two), cycling (one), and pentathlon (one). Of this cohort, 17 athletes (22%) participated only in sports activities, whereas 62 (78%) also partic...