Resting electrocardiogram and blood pressure in young athletes and nonathletes : A 4-year follow-up

Abstract

A follow-up data on electrocardiogram (ECG) and blood pressure (BP) changes in adolescent athletes are scarce. We compared ECG and BP between adolescent athletes and non-athletes in a 4-year follow-up. A total of 154 youth sports clubs (SC) in Finland and 100 secondary schools for comparison data participated in this observational follow-up study. Those who maintained or adopted SC participation are referred to as “Always athletes” (n=137), those who never participated in SC as “Never athletes” (n=108) and those who dropped out of SC during the follow-up as “Changers” (n=116). The mean age of the participants was 15.5 (0.6) years in all study groups at baseline. Resting ECG including heart rate, PR interval, QRS duration, QRS axis, QRS amplitude, T axis and QT interval and BP were measured from all participants at baseline and after follow-up. “Always athletes” had lower resting heart rate, more negative T-wave axis and higher QRS amplitude than “Never athletes” at baseline and at 4-years (P < 0.05). “Changers” had lower resting heart rate, more negative T-wave axis and higher QRS amplitude, systolic BP and pulse pressure than “Never athletes” at baseline (P < 0.05). None of the observed differences at baseline, were visible at 4-years (P > 0.05) except the difference in T-wave axis (P = 0.028). The significant group x time interaction between “Changers” and “Never athletes” was found for QRS amplitude (P = 0.017). Adolescent athletes have several training-induced cardiovascular adaptations, which return towards the levels of non-athletes after cessation of regular training.