Prevalence of cardiovascular pathology in athletes

Purpose of the study: the purpose of the study was to identify and find out the prevalence of cardiovascular pathology, as well as changes in the cardiovascular system that require monitoring and correction, in athletes of various skill levels.

Materials and methods: we evaluated athletes — Moscow national team members who were underwent an in-depth medical examination during six years (2017–2022) in the department No. 1 (Sports Medicine Clinic) of the Moscow Centre for Research and Practice in Medical Rehabilitation, Restorative and Sports Medicine.

Results: the prevalence of cardiovascular diseases among the athletes was about 6 % with no signs of rising in 6 years follow up period. We also noted changes in cardiac diseases structure during the period 2017–2022. There were 1.93 % of high sudden cardiac death risk athletes who needed a deep additional investigation; 0.07 % of athletes were not permitted to sports.

Conclusion: in-depth functional cardiovascular system assessment in athletes is very important to prevent life-threatening conditions and cases of sudden death.

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