[Heart and sports: modifications of electrocardiogram, late potentials and echocardiography. Study of 75 sportsmen and 46 witnesses]

Medical Checks for Professional Football Players in Franceville, Gabon

THE AIM OF THE STUDY

To describe the clinical and non-clinical characteristics of Gabon footballers in the Haut-Ogooue Polyclinic in Franceville, Gabon, during visits, to assess whether they are not contraceptive to sports.

PATIENTS AND METHODS

A descriptive and analytical cross-sectional study was conducted in the city of Franceville, Gabon, in May 2022. The first and second divisions of footballers were subjected to medical examinations to determine whether they had any contraindications for playing sports, including clinical examinations, rest electrocardiograms (ECG), rest cardiac ultrasounds, chest X-rays, Rick-Dickson and biological checks.

RESULTS

The average age of 88 footballers (22-25 years) was 23 years. Blood pressure (BP) is abnormal in 19% of players, and alcohol and tobacco consumption is reported in 70% and 30%, respectively. Exercise adaptation was also closely associated with age (P = 0.00137724; P = 0.008974301), football position (P = 0.009957548; P = 0.006646182) and alcohol consumption (P = 0.000531971). Electrical and biological changes were 16% and 86.79%, respectively. Sinus bradycardia and first-degree atrioventricular block are the most common ECG abnormalities. Metabolic, inflammatory, infectious, electrolyte and anaemia syndromes were found in 22.64%, 24.53%, 19.81%, 7.55% and 12.26%, respectively. Midfielders and defenders have shown the greatest changes in biological parameters.

CONCLUSION

Medical checks are essential to determine if sports are contraindicated, as they can help identify physiological and pathological conditions and improve the monitoring of athletes.

[High performance athlete's heart: Results of a cross-sectional survey conducted in Bobo-Dioulasso, Burkina Faso]

PURPOSE OF THE STUDY

To describe the clinical, electrocardiographic and echocardiographic features of the athlete's heart.

PATIENTS AND METHODS

This was a cross-sectional study conducted from August 2015 to February 2016 in the city of Bobo-Dioulasso in Burkina Faso. Athletes of high level of training (at least 8hours of weekly training, for more than six months regardless of the type of sport) have benefited from: a clinical examination, an electrocardiography and a cardiac ultrasound rest to look for electrical, morphological and functional cardiac changes.

RESULTS

The 192 athletes with an athlete heart included had a median age of 24 years (IQI: 21-27). The median seniority in high performance sport was 6 years (IQI: 4-8) and 10hours weekly training sessions (IQI: 10-10). The consumption of tobacco, alcohol, tea/coffee, medicines and/or energy drinks was reported respectively in 4.2%, 7.3%, 99.0%, 53.4%. A history of exertional discomfort was reported by 4.7 athletes. Electrical modifications were present in 92.1%. Sinus bradycardia was the most common abnormality (75.0% of cases). The prevalence of left atrium dilatation and left ventricular dilation was 72.4 and 22.4%, respectively. That of left ventricular hypertrophy was 9.0%.

CONCLUSION

In the high-performance athlete, the prevalence of electrical, morphological and functional changes was high. These need to be known by practitioners to differentiate them from cardiac pathology.