Why the study?
The results of cardiac screening, prevalence of cardiac diseases, and subsequent health outcomes among elite female football players were not well characterized.
What is the prevalence of cardiac diseases and subsequent health outcomes identified by cardiovascular screening in elite female football players compared to males?
Population
3121 elite female football players in the UK
Comparison
2680 screened females vs 5360 matched male players
Design
Registry-based cohort study with matched analysis
Follow-up
19 193 person-years
Key result
Cardiovascular screening in elite female football players identified major cardiac conditions in 0.2% of females vs 0.5% of matched males (p=0.027), with no sudden cardiac arrests during follow-up.
Authors
Loading...
Supports lower screening yield in elite female footballers; leaves open sex-specific protocol needs.
Cohort (n=3,121)
What is the prevalence of cardiac diseases and subsequent health outcomes identified by cardiovascular screening in elite female football players compared to males?
Absolute Event Rate: 0.2% vs 0.5%
p-value: p=0.027
Cardiovascular screening in elite female football players reveals a very low prevalence of major cardiac conditions and no sudden cardiac arrest or death, highlighting the need for sex-appropriate interpretation and budgeting.
Yamagata et al. (2026) conducted a cohort in Elite female football players (n=3,121). Cardiovascular screening vs. Male football players was evaluated on Diagnosis of major cardiac conditions (p=0.027). Cardiovascular screening in elite female football players identified major cardiac conditions in 0.2% of females vs 0.5% of matched males (p=0.027), with no sudden cardiac arrests during follow-up.