@article {Schmied716, author = {C Schmied and Y Zerguini and A Junge and P Tscholl and A Pelliccia and B M Mayosi and J Dvorak}, title = {Cardiac findings in the precompetition medical assessment of football players participating in the 2009 African Under-17 Championships in Algeria}, volume = {43}, number = {9}, pages = {716--721}, year = {2009}, doi = {10.1136/bjsm.2009.064196}, publisher = {British Association of Sport and Excercise Medicine}, abstract = {Objectives: To screen all players registered for the 8th CAF African Under-17 Championship for risk factors of sudden cardiac death.Design: Standardised cardiac evaluation prior to the start of the competition.Study population: 155 male football players from all eight qualified teams; mean age 16.4 (SD 0.68) years (range 14 to 17).Methods: The cardiac evaluation consisted of a medical history, clinical examination, 12-lead resting electrocardiogram (ECG) and echocardiography, and was performed by three experienced cardiologists using established guidelines.Results: Nine (5.8\%) players reported cardiac symptoms, and the clinical examination was abnormal in only two players with elevated blood pressure. A total of 40 players (25.8\%) showed abnormal ECG patterns. None of the players with a positive ECG showed correlating echocardiographic findings. The echocardiogram of one player appeared highly suspicious for early-stage hypertrophic cardiomyopathy, and in another player the myocardium was suspicious for non-compaction cardiomyopathy, but both had normal ECGs. Thirteen (8.4\%) players showed echocardiographic findings that needed further follow-up. The percentage of players with pathological ECG patterns and some abnormal echocardiographic measurements varied substantially between different ethnic groups.Conclusion: Cardiological screening for risk factors of sudden cardiac death of football players prior to an international competition proved feasible, and conduction by independent experts allowed high-quality standards and a consistent protocol for the examinations. Differences observed between ethnic groups indicate that guidelines for the analysis of ECGs and echocardiography might be adjusted to the target population.}, issn = {0306-3674}, URL = {https://bjsm.bmj.com/content/43/9/716}, eprint = {https://bjsm.bmj.com/content/43/9/716.full.pdf}, journal = {British Journal of Sports Medicine} }