ECG finding in Sudanese athletes: A Pilot Study

Abstract

Background: Sudden deaths of young competitive athletes are tragic events that continue to have a considerable impact on the medical communities which raised the need for a pre-participation cardiovascular screening as a systematic practice of medically evaluating large, general populations of athletes for the purpose of identifying abnormalities that could provoke disease progression or sudden death
Objectives: The aim of the study was to detect ECG changes among Sudanese athlete Material and Methods: The study was a descriptive crossectional study including 30 Sudanese male athletes and 20male control subjects matched with age .The exercisers were grouped according to the type of exercise performed to static, dynamic, and mix type of exercise. Each group included 10 subjects .Their age ranged between 18-30 years. All subjects included in the study were clinically evaluated and an ECG record was obtained.
Results: significant sinus bradycardia in athletics groups was observed. The mean [±SD] PR interval in control subjects and athletes was 0.18 [±.011] ms and 0.20 [±.010] ms respectively (p < .005). Comparisons among groups revealed significant prolongation in PR interval in the dynamic exercisers (mean0 .22 ms) when compared to control subjects, the static and mix exercisers. The QT interval was prolonged among dynamic exercisers when compared with the other athletes and the control subject (p<.008).
Conclusions: there was sinus bradycardia in all groups of athletes. A statistically significant prolongation of the PR, QT and RR intervals among dynamic type of exercise in comparison to different types of exercise was obtained. A pre participations ECG screening is recommended to be
performed for all Sudanese athletes before participation in any competitive exercise

Key wards: PR Interval, QT interval, bradycardia.