What question did this study set out to answer?

This study aims to investigate the electrical and structural cardiac characteristics of Afro-Caribbean football players and compare prevalence of serious diseases with non-Afro-Caribbean players.

June 12, 2026European Journal of Preventive CardiologyOpen Access

Unravelling of the heart of the Afro-Caribbean athlete

Q: What are the key findings of this study?

Afro-Caribbean male football players had a higher prevalence of major cardiac conditions associated with sudden cardiac death compared to non-Afro-Caribbean players (0.9% vs 0.42%, p<0.001).

Q: What is the clinical evidence from this study?

Study design: Cross-Sectional. Population: Pre-participation cardiovascular screening (n=9638). Intervention: Afro-Caribbean ethnicity vs. Non-Afro-Caribbean ethnicity (white or Asian). Primary outcome: Major cardiac conditions associated with sudden cardiac death (p=<0.001).

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Key result

Afro-Caribbean male footballers show ~114% higher prevalence of major cardiac conditions associated with SCD.

P<0.001
n=9,638

Why the study?

Afro-Caribbean football players are at higher risk of sudden cardiac death than non-Afro-Caribbean players, but evidence on regional differences within the African subcontinent is limited.

Does Afro-Caribbean ethnicity and specific regional origin affect the prevalence of abnormal ECG/echocardiographic patterns and serious cardiac conditions in male professional football players?

Population

9,638 male football players aged ≥16 years undergoing pre-participation screening in the UK

Comparison

Afro-Caribbean players across African regions of origin vs non-Afro-Caribbean players

Design

Cross-sectional pre-participation screening study

Authors

KYK Yamagata TMT Mccarthy SMS Marwaha

Discussion

Member takes

Overview

TWI in V1-V4 occurs more often in Afro-Caribbean athletes; supports ethnicity-specific ECG norms but leaves prospective outcome validation open.

Key Points

This study aims to investigate the electrical and structural cardiac characteristics of Afro-Caribbean football players and compare prevalence of serious diseases with non-Afro-Caribbean players.
Included male football players aged ≥16 years screened in the English Football Association programme from 2017-2024.
Categorized players by ethnicity as Afro-Caribbean (AC) or non-Afro-Caribbean (white or Asian), and assessed using 12-lead ECG and echocardiogram.
Evaluated T-wave inversion and other cardiac conditions by expert cardiologists.
Among 2,907 AC players, 11.6% showed T-wave inversion compared to 1.2% in non-AC players (p<0.001).
0.9% of AC players had major cardiac conditions linked to sudden cardiac death versus 0.42% of non-AC players (p<0.001).
West African players had the highest prevalence of abnormal T-wave inversion (5.7%) and increased left ventricular mass compared to players from other origins.

Study Design

Type

Cross-Sectional (n=9,638)

Multicenter

Yes

Structured PICO

Does Afro-Caribbean ethnicity and specific regional origin affect the prevalence of abnormal ECG/echocardiographic patterns and serious cardiac conditions in male professional football players?

Population

9,638 male professional football players aged ≥16 years undergoing pre-participation cardiovascular screening in the UK between 2017-2024.

Exposure

Pre-participation cardiovascular screening including health questionnaire, 12-lead ECG, and echocardiogram.

Comparator

Non-Afro-Caribbean players (white or Asian) and regional comparisons within Afro-Caribbean players.

Outcome

Electrical and structural characteristics (T-wave inversion, relative wall thickness, left ventricular mass) and prevalence of major cardiac conditions associated with sudden cardiac death.surrogate

Main Result

Absolute Event Rate: 0.9% vs 0.42%

p-value: p=<0.001

Afro-Caribbean football players, particularly those of West African origin, have a significantly higher prevalence of abnormal ECG/echocardiographic findings and serious cardiac conditions associated with sudden cardiac death compared to non-Afro-Caribbean players.

Cite This Study

Yamagata et al. (2026) conducted a cross-sectional in Pre-participation cardiovascular screening (n=9,638). Afro-Caribbean ethnicity vs. Non-Afro-Caribbean ethnicity (white or Asian) was evaluated on Major cardiac conditions associated with sudden cardiac death (p=<0.001). Afro-Caribbean male football players had a higher prevalence of major cardiac conditions associated with sudden cardiac death compared to non-Afro-Caribbean players (0.9% vs 0.42%, p<0.001).

synapsesocial.com/papers/6a2bd11d6550ea4541ffe8fe https://doi.org/10.1093/eurjpc/zwag249.370

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June 12, 2026European Journal of Preventive CardiologyOpen Access

Unravelling of the heart of the Afro-Caribbean athlete

View Full Paper

Ask AI

Bookmark

Key result

Afro-Caribbean male footballers show ~114% higher prevalence of major cardiac conditions associated with SCD.

P<0.001
n=9,638

Why the study?

Afro-Caribbean football players are at higher risk of sudden cardiac death than non-Afro-Caribbean players, but evidence on regional differences within the African subcontinent is limited.

Does Afro-Caribbean ethnicity and specific regional origin affect the prevalence of abnormal ECG/echocardiographic patterns and serious cardiac conditions in male professional football players?

Population

9,638 male football players aged ≥16 years undergoing pre-participation screening in the UK

Comparison

Afro-Caribbean players across African regions of origin vs non-Afro-Caribbean players

Design

Cross-sectional pre-participation screening study

Authors

KYK Yamagata TMT Mccarthy SMS Marwaha

Discussion

Member takes

Overview

TWI in V1-V4 occurs more often in Afro-Caribbean athletes; supports ethnicity-specific ECG norms but leaves prospective outcome validation open.

Key Points

This study aims to investigate the electrical and structural cardiac characteristics of Afro-Caribbean football players and compare prevalence of serious diseases with non-Afro-Caribbean players.
Included male football players aged ≥16 years screened in the English Football Association programme from 2017-2024.
Categorized players by ethnicity as Afro-Caribbean (AC) or non-Afro-Caribbean (white or Asian), and assessed using 12-lead ECG and echocardiogram.
Evaluated T-wave inversion and other cardiac conditions by expert cardiologists.
Among 2,907 AC players, 11.6% showed T-wave inversion compared to 1.2% in non-AC players (p<0.001).
0.9% of AC players had major cardiac conditions linked to sudden cardiac death versus 0.42% of non-AC players (p<0.001).
West African players had the highest prevalence of abnormal T-wave inversion (5.7%) and increased left ventricular mass compared to players from other origins.

Study Design

Type

Cross-Sectional (n=9,638)

Multicenter

Yes

Structured PICO

Does Afro-Caribbean ethnicity and specific regional origin affect the prevalence of abnormal ECG/echocardiographic patterns and serious cardiac conditions in male professional football players?

Population

9,638 male professional football players aged ≥16 years undergoing pre-participation cardiovascular screening in the UK between 2017-2024.

Exposure

Pre-participation cardiovascular screening including health questionnaire, 12-lead ECG, and echocardiogram.

Comparator

Non-Afro-Caribbean players (white or Asian) and regional comparisons within Afro-Caribbean players.

Outcome

Electrical and structural characteristics (T-wave inversion, relative wall thickness, left ventricular mass) and prevalence of major cardiac conditions associated with sudden cardiac death.surrogate

Main Result

Absolute Event Rate: 0.9% vs 0.42%

p-value: p=<0.001

Cite This Study

synapsesocial.com/papers/6a2bd11d6550ea4541ffe8fe https://doi.org/10.1093/eurjpc/zwag249.370

Also Consider

Synapse has enriched 5 closely related papers on similar clinical questions. Consider them for comparative context:

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