- ICH GCP
- US Clinical Trials Registry
- Klinisk forsøg NCT07625488
Measuring Athlete's Risk of Cardiovascular Events 3 (MARC-3) (MARC-3)
Regular endurance exercise is widely known to improve cardiovascular health and reduce the risk of heart disease. Yet several imaging studies have shown that male endurance athletes have a higher prevalence of coronary artery calcification (CAC) and calcified plaque than less active individuals. It remains unclear whether this represents harmful progression of coronary artery disease or a more benign, stable form of atherosclerosis. Understanding this distinction is essential, because coronary atherosclerosis is the leading cause of exercise-related cardiac events in athletes >35 years.
The MARC-3 study is the second long-term follow-up of the original Measuring Athlete's Risk of Cardiovascular Events (MARC) cohort and aims to clarify how lifelong exercise training influences coronary artery health.
The study will:
- examine how long-term exercise patterns relate to the progression of coronary atherosclerosis;
- assess plaque characteristics using artificial-intelligence based quantitative coronary CT angiography (AI-QCT);
- identify biological markers that may link exercise to plaque development; and
- evaluate long-term clinical outcomes, including all-cause mortality and major adverse cardiovascular events (MACE).
Our working hypothesis is that endurance exercise predominantly leads to more stable, calcified plaque, and that mechanisms such as exercise-induced hypertension, inflammation, lipid regulation, and genetic background may provide an explanation for the unexpected results observed in previous studies.
Studieoversigt
Status
Betingelser
Detaljeret beskrivelse
Undersøgelsestype
Tilmelding (Anslået)
Kontakter og lokationer
Studiesteder
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Nijmegen, Holland, 6525 GA
- Radboud University Medical Center
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Utrecht, Holland, 3584 CX
- University Medical Center Utrecht
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Deltagelseskriterier
Berettigelseskriterier
Aldre berettiget til at studere
- Voksen
- Ældre voksen
Tager imod sunde frivillige
Prøveudtagningsmetode
Studiebefolkning
Beskrivelse
Inclusion Criteria:
- Previous participation in the original MARC study (enrolled between 2012-2014).
Exclusion Criteria:
- Inability to provide written informed consent.
- Not willing to receive information about potential incidental CT findings.
- Concurrent participation in an interventional study targeting cardiovascular health.
Additional exclusion criteria for CCTA:
- Not willing to undergo CCTA with intravenous contrast.
- History of severe allergic reaction to iodinated contrast agents.
- Renal dysfunction (eGFR < 30 mL/min/1.73 m²).
Additional exclusion criteria for maximal exercise testing:
- Absolute contraindications to maximal exercise testing as defined by institutional SOPs, including but not limited to:
- Recent acute myocardial infarction (3-5 days)
- Unstable angina
- Uncontrolled arrhythmias with symptoms or hemodynamic compromise
- Syncope
- Active endocarditis
- Acute myocarditis or pericarditis
- Uncontrolled heart failure
- Acute pulmonary embolus or pulmonary infarction
- Lower extremity thrombosis
- Suspected aortic dissection
- Uncontrolled asthma
- Pulmonary edema
- Resting room-air oxygen saturation ≤ 85 percent
- Respiratory failure
- Acute non-cardiopulmonary disorders that impair or are aggravated by exercise (e.g., infection, renal failure, thyrotoxicosis)
- Mental impairment preventing cooperation
Studieplan
Hvordan er undersøgelsen tilrettelagt?
Design detaljer
Kohorter og interventioner
Gruppe / kohorte |
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MARC-3 cohort
Participants in this cohort are the surviving and traceable members of the original MARC study, which enrolled 318 middle-aged male amateur endurance athletes between 2012 and 2014.
In the first follow-up (MARC-2), 291 participants were successfully re-examined.
All participants have a lifelong history of regular endurance exercise.
In MARC-3, they undergo repeat evaluation of coronary atherosclerosis, cardiopulmonary fitness, exercise exposure, biomarkers, and genetic factors approximately 12.5 years after baseline.
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Hvad måler undersøgelsen?
Primære resultatmål
Resultatmål |
Foranstaltningsbeskrivelse |
Tidsramme |
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Coronary Artery Calcium (CAC) Score
Tidsramme: Baseline
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Total CACS (AU) AU: Agatston units |
Baseline
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Coronary stenosis and plaque characteristics
Tidsramme: Baseline
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Determine the characteristics (burden, composition, risk features)
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Baseline
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Sekundære resultatmål
Resultatmål |
Foranstaltningsbeskrivelse |
Tidsramme |
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Quantitative Plaque Phenotype and Burden
Tidsramme: Baseline
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Total plaque volume (mm³); calcified, mixed, non-calcified and low-attenuation plaque (mm³); remodeling index.
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Baseline
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Pericoronary Adipose Tissue Attenuation (PCATa)
Tidsramme: Baseline
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CCTA-derived PCAT attenuation around proximal coronary arteries (Hounsfield Units, HU).
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Baseline
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Peripheral Atherosclerosis
Tidsramme: Baseline
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Carotid and femoral intima-media thickness (IMT, mm) and degree of stenosis (%).
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Baseline
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Biomarker Profile
Tidsramme: Baseline
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Lipid profile (mmol/L); HbA1c (%); inflammatory markers (e.g., hsCRP, mg/L); hair cortisol (pg/mg); immunophenotyping (cell subsets, % and absolute counts); polygenic risk score.
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Baseline
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Long-Term Clinical Outcomes
Tidsramme: Through current study baseline, approximately 13 years after initial cohort enrollment
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All-cause mortality and major adverse cardiac events (MACE)
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Through current study baseline, approximately 13 years after initial cohort enrollment
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Samarbejdspartnere og efterforskere
Publikationer og nyttige links
Generelle publikationer
- Braber TL, Mosterd A, Prakken NH, Doevendans PA, Mali WP, Backx FJ, Grobbee DE, Rienks R, Nathoe HM, Bots ML, Velthuis BK. Rationale and design of the Measuring Athlete's Risk of Cardiovascular events (MARC) study : The role of coronary CT in the cardiovascular evaluation of middle-aged sportsmen. Neth Heart J. 2015 Feb;23(2):133-8. doi: 10.1007/s12471-014-0630-0.
- Braber TL, Prakken NH, Mosterd A, Mali WP, Doevendans PA, Bots ML, Velthuis BK. Identifying Coronary Artery Disease in Asymptomatic Middle-Aged Sportsmen: The Additional Value of Pulse Wave Velocity. PLoS One. 2015 Jul 6;10(7):e0131895. doi: 10.1371/journal.pone.0131895. eCollection 2015.
- Braber TL, Mosterd A, Prakken NH, Rienks R, Nathoe HM, Mali WP, Doevendans PA, Backx FJ, Bots ML, Grobbee DE, Velthuis BK. Occult coronary artery disease in middle-aged sportsmen with a low cardiovascular risk score: The Measuring Athlete's Risk of Cardiovascular Events (MARC) study. Eur J Prev Cardiol. 2016 Oct;23(15):1677-84. doi: 10.1177/2047487316651825. Epub 2016 May 24.
- Schurink MM, Braber TL, Prakken NH, Doevendans PA, Backx FJ, Grobbee DE, Rienks R, Nathoe HM, Bots ML, Velthuis BK, Mosterd A. No psychological distress in sportsmen aged 45 years and older after cardiovascular screening, including cardiac CT: The Measuring Athlete's Risk of Cardiovascular events (MARC) study. Neth Heart J. 2017 Apr;25(4):271-277. doi: 10.1007/s12471-017-0948-5.
- Aengevaeren VL, Mosterd A, Braber TL, Prakken NHJ, Doevendans PA, Grobbee DE, Thompson PD, Eijsvogels TMH, Velthuis BK. Relationship Between Lifelong Exercise Volume and Coronary Atherosclerosis in Athletes. Circulation. 2017 Jul 11;136(2):138-148. doi: 10.1161/CIRCULATIONAHA.117.027834. Epub 2017 Apr 27.
- Aengevaeren VL, Mosterd A, Sharma S, Braber TL, Thompson PD, Velthuis BK, Eijsvogels TMH. Coronary Atherosclerosis in Athletes: Exploring the Role of Sporting Discipline. JACC Cardiovasc Imaging. 2019 Aug;12(8 Pt 1):1587-1589. doi: 10.1016/j.jcmg.2019.01.002. Epub 2019 Feb 13. No abstract available.
- Berge K, Aengevaeren VL, Mosterd A, Velthuis BK, Lyngbakken MN, Omland T, Schalkwijk CG, Eijsvogels TMH. Plasma Advanced Glycation End Products and Dicarbonyl Compounds Are Not Associated with Coronary Atherosclerosis in Athletes. Med Sci Sports Exerc. 2023 Jul 1;55(7):1143-1150. doi: 10.1249/MSS.0000000000003152. Epub 2023 Apr 4.
- Janssen SLJE, de Vries F, Mingels AMA, Kleinnibbelink G, Hopman MTE, Mosterd A, Velthuis BK, Aengevaeren VL, Eijsvogels TMH. Exercise-induced cardiac troponin release in athletes with versus without coronary atherosclerosis. Am J Physiol Heart Circ Physiol. 2024 Apr 1;326(4):H1045-H1052. doi: 10.1152/ajpheart.00021.2024. Epub 2024 Feb 16.
- Berge K, Janssen SLJE, Velthuis BK, Myhre PL, Mosterd A, Omland T, Eijsvogels TMH, Aengevaeren VL. Predictors of coronary atherosclerosis in middle-aged and older athletes: the MARC-2 study. Eur Heart J Cardiovasc Imaging. 2025 Mar 3;26(3):461-470. doi: 10.1093/ehjci/jeae317.
- Janssen SLJE, Aengevaeren VL, DE Vries F, Kleinnibbelink G, Mingels AMA, Hopman MTE, Mosterd A, Velthuis BK, Riksen NP, Eijsvogels TMH. Exercise-Induced Changes in Hemodynamics, Hormones, Electrolytes, and Inflammatory Markers in Veteran Athletes with and without Coronary Atherosclerosis. Med Sci Sports Exerc. 2025 Jul 1;57(7):1297-1308. doi: 10.1249/MSS.0000000000003674. Epub 2025 Feb 17.
Datoer for undersøgelser
Studer store datoer
Studiestart (Anslået)
Primær færdiggørelse (Anslået)
Studieafslutning (Anslået)
Datoer for studieregistrering
Først indsendt
Først indsendt, der opfyldte QC-kriterier
Først opslået (Faktiske)
Opdateringer af undersøgelsesjournaler
Sidste opdatering sendt (Faktiske)
Sidste opdatering indsendt, der opfyldte kvalitetskontrolkriterier
Sidst verificeret
Mere information
Begreber relateret til denne undersøgelse
Nøgleord
- Fysisk aktivitet
- Dyrke motion
- Biomarkører
- Vaskulær betændelse
- Større uønskede kardiovaskulære hændelser
- Koronararterieforkalkning
- Koronar computertomografi angiografi
- Polygenisk risikoscore
- Genetisk disposition for sygdom
- Plak, aterosklerotisk
- AI-based Quantitative Computed Tomography
- Pericoronary Adipose Tissue Attenuation
Yderligere relevante MeSH-vilkår
- Karsygdomme
- Hjerte-kar-sygdomme
- Patologiske processer
- Patologiske Tilstande, Anatomiske
- Hjertesygdomme
- Sygdomsegenskaber
- Åreforkalkning
- Arterielle okklusive sygdomme
- Koronar sygdom
- Myokardieiskæmi
- Sygdomsmodtagelighed
- Patologiske tilstande, tegn og symptomer
- Opførsel
- Genetisk risikoscore
- Koronararteriesygdom
- Plak, aterosklerotisk
- Åreforkalkning
- Genetisk disposition for sygdom
- Motorisk aktivitet
Andre undersøgelses-id-numre
- MARC-3
- #01-001-2024-0621 (Andet bevillings-/finansieringsnummer: Dutch Heart Foundation (FIT-HEART consortium))
- 4334294-1093118-PG (Anden identifikator: Dutch Health Council)
Plan for individuelle deltagerdata (IPD)
Planlægger du at dele individuelle deltagerdata (IPD)?
IPD-planbeskrivelse
Lægemiddel- og udstyrsoplysninger, undersøgelsesdokumenter
Studerer et amerikansk FDA-reguleret lægemiddelprodukt
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