Doctor Favors Screenings Athletes

Two recent studies here in the U.S. — published in the Annals of Internal Medicine –looked at ECG testing along with the PPE sports physical exams. The first study found that adding an ECG to a routine sports physical doubled the number of cases of potential heart problems detected when compared to just a sports physical alone. The second study concluded that adding an ECG would be an additional $80 per athlete. But when the researchers did a computer model cost analysis, they found that the cost was actually feasible. It fell within the range of other accepted screening tests used today in the U.S. Thus, it was considered as cost-effective as the PAP exam for detecting cervical cancer or the mammogram for detecting breast cancer.

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