Key result
Female athletes are ~6 times more likely to exhibit isolated V1-V3 T-wave inversion than male athletes.
Why the study?
The study was designed to describe and quantify sex differences in the screening electrocardiograms of athletes.
Does female sex affect the prevalence of abnormal ECG features in trained athletes undergoing screening?
Comparison
Female athletes vs male athletes
Design
Systematic review and meta-analysis
Authors
Loading...
Higher TWI rates in female athletes lacked pathology correlation; hypothesis-generating for sex-specific ECG criteria.
Does female sex affect the prevalence of abnormal ECG features in trained athletes undergoing screening?
Female athletes have significantly higher rates of abnormal T-wave inversions on screening ECGs compared to males, which do not appear to correlate with underlying cardiac pathology, suggesting a need for sex-specific screening criteria.
Davis et al. (2026) studied this question. Female athletes were twice as likely to have abnormal T-wave inversion and six times as likely to have isolated T-wave inversion V1-V3 compared to male athletes.
Synapse has enriched 5 closely related papers on similar clinical questions. Consider them for comparative context: