[Sports and electrocardiograms].

The electrocardiographic examination in sports is performed as a screening procedure for athletes with complaints of cardiac symptoms. The resting 12-lead electrocardiogram(ECG) is the first step and the 2nd step is an exercise ECG and an ambulatory ECG. To evaluate the ECG findings of athletes, it is important to discriminate between an athletic heart and a diseased heart, because an athletic heart is often associated with ECG findings which are difficult to discriminate from those of a diseased heart. The bradycardic arrhythmia, high voltage and ST-T changes are characteristic of the athletic heart syndrome, which are difficult to differentiate from sick sinus syndrome and cardiomyopathy. In the general population, ECG, especially exercise ECG is also performed as a screening procedure for coronary heart disease before participating in sports. In these cases, exercise ECG yield many false positive results. It is important to determine the indications of the test. Another screening procedure of ECG is a diving reflex test. When we immerse our face in water, bradycardia occurs. This test might be used as a screening test for those beginning a water sport.