Electrocardiographic abnormalities in Cameroonian university athletes: a cross-sectional study

Background: Pre-participation screening is not commonly done in Cameroonian amateur athletes. There are therefore very few studies describing the athlete’s heart among Cameroonians. This study aims to describe electrocardiogram (ECG) abnormalities in a group of Cameroonian athletes participating in university games. Methods: This was a cross-sectional study conducted at the Yaoundé University Teaching Hospital. All participants underwent a 12-lead ECG. The ECG analysis was done using the Seattle criteria. Results: We recruited 145 athletes, of whom 37.2% were female. The average age is 23±3 years. The pathological abnormalities including left atrial hypertrophy, T wave inversion, left axial deviation and right ventricular hypertrophy. These were found in 5.6% of athletes, mostly in the males. Conclusions: The abnormalities observed on the ECG in the University of Yaounde 1 athletes are similar to those described in the literature.