Patterns of injuries and illness among Malaysian athletes during the XVII Asian Games 2014

Although more Malaysians are taking part in International Multisport Games, these athletes well-being at such events have not been fully explored. The purpose of this study was to examine the pattern of injury and illness among Malaysian athletes during the XVII Asian Games 2014. Clinical and socio-demographic information of athletes diagnosed with injury or illness during the centralised training camp and at the Games were recorded in a standardised report form. Throughout the study period, 83 injuries and 64 illnesses were recorded from 276 athletes. Muscle strains and tears were the most common injury followed by ligamentous injury and soft tissues contusion. The number of injuries was highest among badminton players followed by hockey and rugby. Significantly higher incidence of injuries was observed among men than women hockey players. Athletes in individual events had higher proportion of more severe injury than those in team events. Respiratory tract infection was the most frequent illness diagnosed among athletes. Most injuries and illnesses diagnosed among athletes were minor and did not result in time away from participation. The incidence of injuries and illnesses among Malaysian athletes at the XVII Asian Games were comparable with those reported by previous authors. Injury and illness rate were influenced by gender and sports. Fortunately, majority of injuries and illnesses were minor and did not prevent athletes from participation

Electrocardiographic ECG characteristics among Malaysian athletes

The electrocardiogram (ECG) is a graphic representation of the heart’s electrical activity. Although it has some limitations as a diagnostic or prognostic tool, it contains a wealth of information necessary for the proper care of a patient with a potential cardiovascular disease. Understanding the ECG changes among athletes would allow medical practitioners to distinguish between normal physiological adaptations and abnormal changes. However, there is limited data on the ECG characteristics among multi-ethnic athletes such as in Malaysia. This study aimed to determine the ECG characteristics and its associated factors among Malaysian national athletes. Malaysian national athletes annual preparticipation medical records were retrieved. Information on sociodemographic, sports and medical history including the 12-lead resting ECG tracings were extracted. ECG were assessed and categorised into normal, physiological adaptation changes, and abnormal ECG using the standardised ‘Seattle criteria’. Differences in ECG characteristics between genders, ethnic background, and type of sports was investigated. Additionally, factors associated with the ECG characteristics were assessed using multiple logistic regression. Majority of Malaysian national athletes had physiological adaptation ECG changes (61%). The most frequent changes were early repolarization, sinus bradycardia and isolated left ventricular hypertrophy. We found significantly higher prevalence of physiological adaptation changes among men (χ2 (2,371) = 18.9; p = 0.001) and athletes of Chinese ethnicity (both genders) (χ2 (2,356) = 13.8; p = 0.002). Factors associated with physiological ECG changes were men (OR=2.67; 95% CI= 1.68, 4.27; p<0.001) and Chinese ethnicity (OR=2.92; 95% CI=1.68, 4.27; p=0.039). Most athletes had physiological adaptation ECG changes which were significantly associated with male gender and Chinese ethnicity. This information would facilitate the development of a specific guideline in interpreting ECG among Malaysian athletes

Electrocardiographic (ECG) characteristics among Malaysian athletes

The electrocardiogram (ECG) is a graphic representation of the heart’s electrical activity. Although it has some limitations as a diagnostic or prognostic tool, it contains a wealth of information necessary for the proper care of a patient with a potential cardiovascular disease. Understanding the ECG changes among athletes would allow medical practitioners to distinguish between normal physiological adaptations and abnormal changes. However, there is limited data on the ECG characteristics among multi-ethnic athletes such as in Malaysia. This study aimed to determine the ECG characteristics and its associated factors among Malaysian national athletes. Malaysian national athletes annual pre-participation medical records were retrieved. Information on sociodemographic, sports and medical history including the 12-lead resting ECG tracings were extracted. ECG were assessed and categorised into normal, physiological adaptation changes, and abnormal ECG using the standardised ‘Seattle criteria’. Differences in ECG characteristics between genders, ethnic background, and type of sports was investigated. Additionally, factors associated with the ECG characteristics were assessed using multiple logistic regression. Majority of Malaysian national athletes had physiological adaptation ECG changes (61%). The most frequent changes were early repolarization, sinus bradycardia and isolated left ventricular hypertrophy. We found significantly higher prevalence of physiological adaptation changes among men (χ2(2,371) = 18.9; p = 0.001) and athletes of Chinese ethnicity (both genders) (χ2(2,356) = 13.8; p = 0.002). Factors associated with physiological ECG changes were men (OR=2.67; 95% CI= 1.68, 4.27; p<0.001) and Chinese ethnicity (OR=2.92; 95% CI=1.68, 4.27; p=0.039). Most athletes had physiological adaptation ECG changes which were significantly associated with male gender and Chinese ethnicity. This information would facilitate the development of a specific guideline in interpreting ECG among Malaysian athletes