Check up your heart: I did it!

KAZAN – While the Universiade is in full swing and the student-athletes fully devote themselves to their competitions now, it is time to take stock of the pioneer programme ‘Check up Your heart which ended July 9th.

This operation was carried out under the aegis of FISU and the Ministry of Health of Tatarstan and also in the context of the FISU International Education Institute (FISU-IEC) in Kazan.

Martin Zacests, student-athlete from Latvia (track and field) during the echocardiogramBetween June 30th and July 9th, athletes at the 27th Universiade were invited to submit to a heart and health test. Everyone who came forward received a blood pressure test, an electro cardiogram and echocardiogram. These data were coupled with a health questionnaire. The athletes were then evaluated based on the results and divided into four categories: normal, with minor defects that do not require specific monitoring, with abnormalities requiring follow-up, and finally with abnormalities with cessation of all competition sport recommended (the proportion of athletes in this category is estimated at less than 0.5%). A USB key containing the evaluation was then given to each athlete.

This programme will be part of the legacy of the Kazan Universiade since its establishment involved the training of 40 cardiologists. Indeed, a practice exam on an athlete requires very specific training that will enable the physician to identify the adaptations specific to the athlete’s heart, and especially not to be confused with other cardiac diseases.

‘Check up Your Heart’ is a programme of epidemiological research in the field of sports cardiology containing two aspects: 1) prevention for the athlete 2) comprehension for the researcher.

It is observed that the adaptation of the heart is not the same in all sports and it is clear that the heart of a marathon runner does not resemble that of a wrestler. The idea was to try to understand why the heart of athletes suits in different ways depending on the sports disciplines. In other words, the researchers try to determine the correlation between a certain sport and a particular cardiac profile.

The blood pressure checkTo do so, a large-scale study had to be set up and what better place and time frame than the Universiade to implement this type of research. In Kazan, this objective has been achieved since the operation was a great success with more than 1,500 analyses. It may even resume shortly before the closing of the Games. Indeed, this kind of research has to take place prior or after competition and not during because the result could be influenced by the stress generated by the competitions.

FISU is very proud to have been the first multi-sport federation to implement this kind of cardiac examination and will study carefully how to continue this programme at future Universiades

Indeed, it is also true that many athletes from developing countries simply do not have access to this type of prevention. For them the check up will also be an effective tool of Preventive Medicine, which in itself is already a great success.

Text and pictures, Yvan Dufour, FISU Chief Editor

 Claude Louis Gallien after his check up together with Airat Farrakhov, Minister of Health of the Tatarstan Republic (middle) and Albert Galyavich from the OC Medical Services (right)