Introduction: Sudden cardiac death in athletes, although rare, is a catastrophic event often caused by asymptomatic heart diseases. This study aimed to evaluate the cardiovascular status of professional athletes in Mazandaran province and identify high-risk individuals.
Methods: A cross-sectional study was conducted on 449 professional athletes (384 males, 65 females) with at least two years of activity history across 22 sports disciplines, at Ayatollah Rouhani Hospital in Babol. All participants underwent history taking, physical examination, 12-lead electrocardiography, and transthoracic echocardiography. Data were analyzed using SPSS version 23.
Results: Eighty-three athletes (18.5%) had positive symptoms or history. Chest pain was more prevalent in females (P=0.03). Sixty-three athletes (14%) had abnormal electrocardiograms. The mean corrected QTc interval was 362±28.1 milliseconds. On echocardiography, no cases of hypertrophic cardiomyopathy or arrhythmogenic right ventricular cardiomyopathy were observed. Three high-risk athletes were identified: one with Wolff–Parkinson–White syndrome (underwent ablation), one with bicuspid aortic valve with moderate regurgitation, and one with ischemic heart disease (excluded from competition).
Discussion: A combined screening approach using history taking, physical examination, electrocardiography, and echocardiography was able to identify high-risk athletes. Electrocardiography was effective in detecting asymptomatic cases such as WPW, while echocardiography was useful in identifying structural abnormalities like bicuspid aortic valve. The use of these methods can help prevent sudden cardiac death in athletes.