Examining the effect of the type of sport on the frequency of electrocardiographic changes in medical students involved in sports

Abstract

Continuous physical activity leads to a series of adaptive changes to athletes' cardiovascular system, collectively called Athlete's heart. Recognizing such physiological ECG changes and distinguishing them from the pathological myocardium-related findings, play an important role in sudden cardiac death prevention among athletes. The aim of our study was to examine the effect of the type of sport on the frequency of electrocardiographic changes between two groups of subjects, football and volleyball players. The study included 47 subjects, students of the Faculty of Medicine, University of Belgrade, divided into two groups depending on type of sport they play. The first group consisted of 29 volleyball players, while the second group consisted of 18 football players. Anthropometric parameters: body height (BH), body weight (BW), body mass index (BMI), body fat percentage (%BF) were measured first. Resting electrocardiographic test was performed in supine position, using twelve-lead electrocardiograph. From obtained electrocardiograms (ECG), using the Seattle criteria for interpretation of ECG findings in athletes, following parameters were analyzed: heart rate, heart rhythm, rhythmicity, respiratory arrhythmia, cardiac axis, duration and amplitude of individual waves, segments and intervals, QTc, right and left atrial enlargement, isolated voltage criteria for left and right ventricular hypertrophy, incomplete right bundle-branch block, first degree AV block, second degree AV block-Mobitz type I (Wenckebach), and T wave inversion. Statistical analysis was performed using paired T-test and Chi square test, within the SPSS package. Results of the study showed higher values of amplitude of P wave in the V1 lead among football players (p=0.015), alongside significant difference in frequency of T wave inversion in leads V1-V3 (p=0.048). Volleyball players demonstrated significantly higher frequency of left atrial enlargement (p=0.019). Based on presented results, we can conclude that observed ECG changes indicate that different types of sports may lead both to changes in electrical activity of cardiac conduction system and myocardium.

Keywords

• athlete's heart
• physical activity
• physical exercise
• electrocardiography
• seattle criteria