A gender-based analysis of high school athletes using computerized electrocardiogram measurements

Area of Science:

• Cardiology
• Sports Medicine
• Pediatric Health

Background:

• The use of electrocardiograms (ECG) in preparticipation examinations (PPE) for high school athletes is debated.
• Defining gender-specific ECG differences is crucial for implementing ECG in high school PPE.
• Establishing distinct male and female ECG parameters can help minimize false positives.

Purpose of the Study:

• To investigate the effect of gender on ECG measurements in high school athletes.
• To identify specific ECG parameters that differ between male and female athletes.
• To provide data for developing gender-specific ECG screening guidelines for athletes.

Main Methods:

• Computerized electrocardiograms were analyzed from 181 high school athletes (52.5% male) across 17 sports.
• ECG statistics included intervals, durations in 3 axes, 12-lead voltage sums, QRS Amplitude, QT interval, and QRS Duration.
• The sum of the R wave in V5 and the S wave in V2 (RS Sum) was also calculated.

Main Results:

• Male athletes exhibited significantly greater QRS duration, Q-wave duration, and T wave amplitude (P<0.05).
• Female athletes demonstrated a significantly greater corrected QT (QTc) interval (P<0.05).
• Body size did not correlate with the observed gender-specific ECG measurements.

Conclusions:

• Significant gender-associated differences exist in ECG measurements among high school athletes.
• These findings support the need for gender-specific ECG parameters in athlete screening.
• The study provides data tables that can aid in developing large-scale ECG analysis for high school athlete screening.