Relation of Race to Electrocardiographic Patterns in Elite American Football Players

Relation of Race to Electrocardiographic Patterns in Elite American Football Players Anthony Magalski, Barry J. Maron, Michael L. Main, Marcia McCoy, Angela Florez, Kimberly J. Reid, Harold W. Epps, John Bates, Jon E. Browne We studied electrocardiographic (ECG) characteristics of highly-trained American football players. Electrocardiographic abnormalities were found in 480 (25%) participants. By race, abnormal ECGs were 2-fold more common in black (n = 396; 30%) than in white athletes (n = 78; 13%). Black race was a significant independent predictor of abnormal ECGs, including patterns most suggestive of underlying heart disease. These findings have important implications for pre-participation ECG screening of athletes, underscoring the potential for a high rate of false-positives in black athletes.