CardioRef: AHA/ACC 2015 Sports Participation Selector Guide: Dilated or Restrictive Cardiomyopathy

By the ACC/AHA 2015 guidelines, should my patient with participate in organized sports?

Should my patient with dilated cardiomyopathy, primary non-hypertrophied restrictive cardiomyopathy, or infiltrative cardiac myopathy participate in organized sports?

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Symptomatic

"Symptomatic athletes with DCM, primary nonhypertrophied restrictive cardiomyopathy, and infiltrative cardiac myopathies should not participate in most competitive sports, with the possible exception of low-intensity (class 1A sports) in selected cases, at least until more information is available."

Non-Class IA = Inadvisable

Class IA sports: Bowling, Cricket, Curling, Golf, Riflery, Yoga = Possibly Acceptable

(Class III Recommendation; Level of Evidence C)

Asymptomatic

"It is unclear whether asymptomatic patients with DCM are at risk for sudden death during competitive athletics, because ventricular tachyarrhythmias are most common in patients with more advanced disease, that is, with cardiac symptoms and lower ejection fraction."

Note: The above quotation is from the paragraph preceding the summarized "recommendation". To see the entire section on dilated cardiomyopathy, restrictive cardiomyopathy, and infiltrative cardiomyopathies, see the following excerpt.

Reference: Eligibility and Disqualification Recommendations for Competitive Athletes With Cardiovascular Abnormalities. A Scientific Statement From the AHA and ACC. Circulation 2015

Disclaimer: This website is derived from published guidelines, but does not constitute medical advice nor does it replace clinical judgement. Only the text in quotation marks are direct quotations from the original guidelines. Text not in quotations as well as the method of information display are all that of the website creator and are not part of the original published guidelines. Please consult a physician to discuss any patient-specific matters.