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Differences according to gender in reporting physical symptoms during echocardiographic screening in healthy teenage athletes

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  01 June 2008

Mohammad Reza Movahed ,
Adolfo Martinez ,
Holly Morrell ,
Seaneen Greaves ,
Jeff Greaves  and
Sudhakar Sattur
Mohammad Reza Movahed*
Affiliation:
Section of Cardiology, University of Arizona College of Medicine, Sarver Heart Center, Tucson, Arizona Department of Medicine, Division of Cardiology, Southern Arizona VA Health Care System, Tucson, Arizona A Heart For Sports, Yorba Linda, California, United States of America
Adolfo Martinez
Affiliation:
Section of Cardiology, University of Arizona College of Medicine, Sarver Heart Center, Tucson, Arizona
Holly Morrell
Affiliation:
A Heart For Sports, Yorba Linda, California, United States of America
Seaneen Greaves
Affiliation:
A Heart For Sports, Yorba Linda, California, United States of America
Jeff Greaves
Affiliation:
A Heart For Sports, Yorba Linda, California, United States of America
Sudhakar Sattur
Affiliation:
Section of Cardiology, University of Arizona College of Medicine, Sarver Heart Center, Tucson, Arizona
*
Correspondence to: Mohammad Reza Movahed, MD, PhD, FACP, FACC, FCCP, Director of Coronary Care Unit, University of Arizona Sarver Heart Center, 1051 North Campbell Avenue, Tucson, AZ 85724, United States of America. Tel: +520-626 6223; Fax: +520 626 5181; E-mail: rmova@aol.com
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Abstract

Background

Many studies have suggested that more women then men present with physical symptoms. There is no data available, however, on the differences in reporting of physical symptoms between teenage male and female athletes. Our objective was to evaluate the differences according to gender in physical symptoms in healthy teenage athletes.

Methods

A total of 1,465 high school athletes, between the ages of 13 and 19 years participated in a mass echocardiographic screening programme for detection of cardiac abnormalities. Screening was conducted using a hand-carried cardiac ultrasound device (OptiGo, Philips). All participants were actively involved in a high school sport programme. Each athlete was required to fill out a questionnaire before the screening. The athletes were asked to report the occurrence of physical symptoms with activity or exercise. A physical examination was not performed during screening.

Results

There were 1,031 (70.4%) male and 434 (29.6%) female participants. Significantly more female teenage athletes reported physical symptoms (190/434, 43.8% versus 267/1,031, 25.9%, odds ratio: 2.28, confidence interval: 1.76–2.81, p less than 0.001). Symptoms did not correlate with any echocardiographically identified cardiac abnormalities in either gender. The differences in the reporting of symptoms were significant for all physical symptoms addressed by the questionnaire.

Conclusion

There is a high prevalence of reporting physical symptoms in young healthy athletes without any relation to cardiac abnormalities. Young female athletes report physical symptoms nearly twice as often as their male counterparts.

Keywords

Cardiacvalvessudden deathepidemiologyadolescencesport
Type
Original Article
Information
Cardiology in the Young , Volume 18 , Issue 3 , June 2008 , pp. 303 - 306
Copyright
Copyright © Cambridge University Press 2008

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