ABNORMAL ELECTROCARDIOGRAPHIC FINDINGS IN PROFESSIONAL SOCCER PLAYERS

Abstract

Cardiac adaptations to training are influenced by the type of exercise performed. In some instances, these adaptations can lead to changes that might result in sudden death, detectable through electrocardiographic manifestations. This is why the ECG has been suggested as a screening tool in pre-participation evaluations. The objective of this study is to describe such findings in a group of professional soccer players training at an altitude of 2600 meters above sea level between 2017 and 2022. A total of 111 soccer players participated, including 81 men and 30 women, with an average age of 26 and 24 years respectively, none of whom exhibited cardiovascular symptoms. The average heart rate was 59 bpm in men and 62 bpm in women. Fourteen participants showed electrocardiographic changes, including early repolarization disorder, incomplete right bundle branch block, T wave inversion, and sinus bradycardia. Only one player met echocardiographic criteria for concentric hypertrophy.