Hypertrophic cardiomyopathy (HCM) is
characterised by idiopathic cardiac enlargement and
represents the most frequent cause of sudden cardiac
death in athletes under the age of 35 years. Differentiation
between physiological (ie, exercise-related) and pathological
(ie, HCM-related) cardiac remodelling is challenging. In line
with cardiac remodelling, vascular structure and function
are altered following training, but little is known about
peripheral vascular adaptations in HCM. We hypothesised
that, while HCM patients and athletes would exhibit similar
cardiac characteristics, differences would be apparent in
their brachial and carotid arteries.