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General Medicine & Health Science Fair Project

Athlete Heart Syndrome, Age, and Pulse Pressure

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Athlete Heart Syndrome, Age, and Pulse Pressure | Science Fair Projects | STEM Projects
Does age affect pulse pressure differently in athletes with Athlete Heart Syndrome? AHS (Athlete Heart Syndrome) is a condition where intense training enlarges the heart. It causes a slower heartbeat and higher pulse pressure (the gap between systolic and diastolic readings). You measure blood pressure in 60 people split into three age groups. The groups span ages 15 to 60. Each group has 10 athletes diagnosed with AHS and 10 non-athletes. You calculate pulse pressure by subtracting diastolic from systolic. Athletes with AHS had lower heart rates but higher pulse pressure than non-athletes. Pulse pressure also increased with age in both groups.

Hypothesis

The hypothesis is that athletes with AHS have a higher pulse pressure compared to normal persons, and the pulse pressure increases as they age.

Method & Materials

You will measure the pulse pressure of 60 participants divided into 3 age groups. 10 participants in each group will be athletes with AHS and 10 will be non-athletes.
You will need 10 athletes aged between 15 and 30 years, diagnosed with AHS, 10 athletes aged between 31 and 45 years, diagnosed with AHS, 10 athletes aged between 46 and 60 years, diagnosed with AHS, 10 non-athletes aged between 15 and 30 years, 10 non-athletes aged between 31 and 45 years, 10 non-athletes aged between 46 and 60 years, and a blood pressure checking device.

Results

The results of the experiment showed that athletes with AHS had a lower heart rate but their pulse pressure was higher than the normal (non-athlete) persons. The pulse pressure of the participants also increased with age.

Why do this project?

This science project is interesting because it explores the differences between athletes and non-athletes in terms of pulse pressure and age.

Also Consider

Variations of this science project could include comparing the physiological differences between male athletes and female athletes, or conducting a survey to compare the occurrence of heart disease among athletes and non-athletes.

Full project details

Additional information and source material for this project are available below.

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