Can exercise test intensity and modality affect the prevalence of arrhythmic events in young athletes?. Issue 1 (2nd January 2023)

• Record Type: Journal Article
• Authors: Quinto, Giulia; Neunhaeuserer, Daniel; Gasperetti, Andrea; Battista, Francesca; Foccardi, Giulia; Baioccato, Veronica; Gobbo, Stefano; Bergamin, Marco; Ermolao, Andrea
• Is Part Of: Research in sports medicine. Volume 31:Issue 1(2023)
• Page Start: 49
• Page End: 57
• Publication Date: 2023-01-02
• Subjects: Electrocardiography -- ventricular premature complex -- competitive sport -- cardiovascular screening; Sports medicine -- Periodicals; Athletic Injuries -- Periodicals; Exercise -- Periodicals; Sports Medicine -- Periodicals; Médecine du sport -- Périodiques; 617.102705
• DOI: 10.1080/15438627.2021.1937162
• Languages: English
• ISSNs: 1543-8627

Abstract

ABSTRACT: Pre-participation screening is performed to identify underlying cardiac conditions that may also lead to sudden cardiac death. Our aim is to compare submaximal Harvard Step Test (HST) with incremental Maximal Exercise Test (MET) on treadmill to induce and detect arrhythmias in younger athletes. A total of 1000 athletes (mean age 14.6 ± 4.7 years) were evaluated, 500 with MET and 500 with HST, all with continuous ECG monitoring until three minutes of recovery. Pre-test evaluation includes medical history, clinical evaluation and resting electrocardiogram. Ventricular and/or supraventricular arrhythmias were observed in 2.6% of athletes performing HST and in 8.4% during MET (p < 0.001). Incidence of arrhythmias remained higher for MET also considering separately exercise phase (0.8% vs. 5.2%; p < 0.001) and recovery phase (2.0% vs. 6.0%; p < 0.01). No gender differences were observed. Results suggest that MET induces more arrhythmias than submaximal HST, regardless of test phase. Higher test intensity and longer exercise duration might influence test outcomes, making MET more arrhythmogenic.