The Effect of Team Sports on the Susceptibility to Thrombosis in Elderly Men and Women in a Municipality Setting

Cardiovascular disease, and especially myocardial infarction, is the most common cause of death globally, and is particularly common in older individuals. Practical measures that can reduce both the prevalence and incidence of cardiovascular disease are of great value. It is well known that regular physical activity has a protective effect against the development of cardiovascular diseases such as acute myocardial infarction. Therefore, the American Heart Association also recommends ≥ 30 min. per day five days a week. It has been shown that physical activity can improve the function of the heart and blood vessels, but it is less well known how physical activity can affect the risk of formation of dangerous blood clots, and thus the risk of heart attack and stroke.

In a cross-sectional study it has been shown that a physically active lifestyle can reduce the risk of blood clot formation, but experimental evidence for the importance of a period of physical activity for the risk of blood clot formation is lacking. New methods have been set up for measuring the coagulation profile. The analyzes are performed on a blood sample and allow a thorough determination of platelet reactivity as well as an innovative measure of how the microstructure of a possible blood clot would develop. In this project, these methods is used to examine how physical activity, in the form of team sports, affects the coagulation profile of elderly men and women.

The increasing age-related risk of cardiovascular disease is associated with endothelial dysfunction and decrease in capillary density, and it has been shown that initiation of capillary growth is a successful method to treat cardiovascular disease. Therefore, this project will also investigate how a longer period of physical activity, in the form of team sports, affects capillary density and endothelial function in men and women aged 60-70 years. Both men and women will be recruited, as it is still unknown whether men and women respond differently to physical activity in relation to coagulation profile, susceptibility to blood clots and capillary density.

Part of the novelty of this present study consist of 1) linking the clinical measurements with data on sickness absence, disease development, etc. and with data on the underlying mechanisms, 2) examining the short-term effect (16 weeks) and the long-term effect (up to 2 years) of physical activity, in the form of team sports in a municipality setting, on coagulation, risk of blood clots, capillarization and endothelial function in general in the elderly, as well as 3) investigate whether there is a difference in the aforementioned measurements in men and women.