Assessment of the P Wave Dispersion and Duration in Elite Women Basketball Players

BACKGROUND P wave dispersion is an independent predictor of atrial fibrillation. P wave dispersion is associated with inhomogeneous and discontinuous propagation of sinus impulses. The purpose of this study was to investigate P wave dispersion and transthoracic echocardiographic findings in elite women basketball players. METHODS We recruited 27 well-trained woman athletes with a training history of many years (11.9 +/- 3.6 years). All of the athletes were elite women basketball players and they were regularly maintaining sportive activities and training programs. Twenty-six age and sex matched healthy sedentary subjects consisted of control group. The difference between P maximum and P minimum durations was defined as P wave dispersion. The echocardiographic parameters were assessed in detail in the standard left lateral decubitus position. RESULTS The body height, body weight, body surface area, metabolic equivalent, maximum P wave duration and P wave dispersion were increased in the elite basketball athletes as compared with healthy sedentary subjects. On the contrary; the heart rate, ejection fraction and interventricular septum thickness in diastole were decreased in athletes. The body height (p=0.006, r=0.37), body weight (p=0.04, r=0.28), body surface area (p=0.01, r=0.33) and heart rate (p=0.01, r=-0.32) were correlated with P wave dispersion. CONCLUSIONS P wave dispersion was increased in elite woman basketball players as compared with healthy sedentary subjects. P wave dispersion was correlated with heart rate, body height, body weight and body surface area.