Athletic training and sports-related injuries can involve multiple organ systems. Examples include exercise-induced asthma, idiopathic hypertrophic subaortic stenosis (hyper- trophic cardiomyopathy), and fluid and electrolyte imbal- ance. In this issue of the Rhode Island Medical Journal, we present examples of sports-related pathology reflecting multiple organ involvement. " The Female Athlete Triad " describes the effects of exercise on both the endocrine sys- tem and bone density. Female athletes are susceptible to menstrual dysfunction and loss of bone density associated with negative energy balance. Originally thought to occur in women with eating disorders, it is now recognized to occur with normal caloric intake in the face of excessive caloric demands of exercise.
展开▼
