Electrocardiographic and Blood Electrolytes Findings in Athletic Students of Sports Academy in Bangladesh

Regular intensive exercise and training may cause structural and functional changes in the heart and also in their electrolyte level. We conducted a case control study among 50 athletic students of 20-30 years old enrolled from a renowned sport academy of Bangladesh named Bangladesh Krira Shikkha Protisthan (BKSP). 50 age-matched healthy non-athlete men were selected as controls. Electrocardiograph was recorded by Bionet Cardiocare-2000 (EKG-2000). Serum sodium, potassium and chloride levels were measured by The Beckman Coulter AU auto-analyzer, and serum bicarbonate level was measured by Dimension. Data were collected during the colder part of the year. In this study, heart rate was significantly (p<0.001) decreased and QRS duration was significantly (p<0.05) prolonged in study group than that of control group. Also, Serum sodium and Serum chloride level were lower and Serum potassium level was higher in study group than that of control group, which were statistically non-significant. These findings support other researchers conducted in different countries worldwide. Therefore routine screening of athlete’s will provide information regarding their physiologic adaptation to exercise and also helpful to measure water and electrolyte requirement before going for training session and match play.