Vascular function in cyclists
Research type
Research Study
Full title
Endothelial function and arterial stiffness in male cyclists and healthy subjects
IRAS ID
203123
Contact name
Robert Hinchliffe
Contact email
Sponsor organisation
JREO,
Clinicaltrials.gov Identifier
Duration of Study in the UK
0 years, 6 months, 30 days
Research summary
Endofibrosis of the iliac arteries (blood vessels located deep in our abdomen) is a condition typically occurring in professional cyclists. Although the causes of this condition are not well understood, it is thought to be the result of the bent over position whilst exercising (pedaling) which may place pressure and/or kink the iliac artery. Over time the body may respond to this irritation by hardening the arteries which in turn may reduce blood flow to the legs. Many athletes (like cyclists) first start to notice a reduction in power of the affected limb during high intensity exercise as well as to have symptoms, like cramp in the thigh and calf and a tingling / ‘pins and needles’ sensation in the foot.
We recently demonstrated that athletes with iliac endofibrosis have evidence of a changes in the flow during the ultrasound scan. We hypothesised that these changes in the flow are due to the presence of abnormalities of the arterial segment affected by endofibrosis and to an inability of the artery to increase the quantity of blood flow during the exercise. As there are no data about a direct role of the arteries in this condition we designed this pilot study to evaluate whether symptomatic cyclists with endofibrosis have abnormalities in the function of arteries.
We plan to analyse whether cyclists have abnormalities of the endothelium (the inner lining of the artery) and/or of the elasticity of the arteries (ability of artery to expand and contract in response to changes related to flow and blood pressure, etc. We will compare these results in a control group of non cycling males. The control group will be matched - similar age and clinical features.REC name
East Midlands - Derby Research Ethics Committee
REC reference
16/EM/0249
Date of REC Opinion
13 Jun 2016
REC opinion
Further Information Favourable Opinion