PREVALENCE AND STRUCTURE OF CARDIAC ARRHYTHMIAS IN ATHLETES IN CYCLIC SPORTS

Abstract

Background. Cardiac arrhythmias are a serious problem in sports medicine. Purposes and tasks. To study the structure of potentially dangerous arrhythmias associated with cardiac remodeling and their dynamics during the annual training cycle in sports with a predominant development of endurance. Materials and methods. Athletes of cyclic sports (academic rowing and cross-country skiing) were studied — 72 people and 10 handball players. Age 18–25 years old, not lower than the 1st sports category. 24-hour Holter electrocardiography monitoring, echocardiography were performed, general physical performance was determined by PWC170. Results. In the group of athletes with cardiac arrhythmia, ventricular extrasystole was detected in 47 % of cases. Supraventricular extrasystole occurred in 34 % of athletes, mainly it was multiple extrasystoles — 18.5 % of athletes. Suppressed sinus node syndrome was diagnosed in 19 % of athletes. In 15.6 % of cases, extrasystoles were combined with migration of the rhythm driver and in 9.4 % with atrioventricular blockade of the 1st degree. Additional chords were detected in 21.8 %, mitral valve prolapse — in 15.6 % of athletes with cardiac arrhythmia. Potentially dangerous arrhythmias in rowers and handball players were most often diagnosed (at p < 0.05) during the last competitive period of the annual training cycle — in 37.5 and 20 % of cases, relative to 8 and 5 %, respectively. Conclusion. The data obtained confirm the need to increase the adaptive potential of the cardiovascular system and organize effective post-exercise recovery during periods of the most intense training in order to prevent both local heart overstrain and non-functional overstrain and overtraining syndrome in athletes in cyclic sports.