title: Health conditions detected in a comprehensive periodic health evaluation of 558 professional football players.
abstract: BACKGROUND
  Despite the widespread use of periodic health evaluation (PHE) to detect and prevent injury and illness in athletes, its effectiveness in detecting health conditions and relevant risk factors is still debated.
  
  
  OBJECTIVE
  To assess health conditions detected by a comprehensive PHE in professional male football players and evaluate their consequences for participation clearance.
  
  
  METHODS
  A total of 558 professional football players in Qatar completed a PHE prior to the 2013 or 2014 seasons: history, general medical (including blood test), cardiovascular (12-lead ECG and echocardiography) and a musculoskeletal examination, including a specific test battery targeting lower extremity strength and flexibility. On the basis of the PHE, players were either cleared or not cleared for participation.
  
  
  RESULTS
  In 533 players (95.5%), at least one health condition was detected requiring treatment or follow-up. Vitamin D deficiency or insufficiency (≤30 ng/mL) was the most common medical condition (n=499, 89.4%), followed by hepatitis B non-immunity or infection (n=164, 29.4%). Cardiac screening identified 48 players (8.6%) with one or more abnormal findings (ECG (n=19, 3.4%) and echocardiography (n=14, 2.5%)). Musculoskeletal conditions were observed in 180 players (32.3%); injuries to or strength deficits of the hip/groin and thigh accounted for the largest proportion. Medical clearance was temporarily not given in 69 players (12.4%), while further examinations were being conducted. One player was disqualified from competitive football.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  PHE revealed a high prevalence of health conditions requiring treatment or follow-up in professional footballers; however, only 12.4% of conditions impacted on final clearance for participation.
authors.affiliation: Aspetar Orthopaedic and Sports Medicine Hospital, Doha, Qatar Department of Sports Medicine, Oslo Sports Trauma Research Center, Norwegian School of Sport Sciences, Oslo, Norway.
authors.forename: Arnhild
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Bakken
authors.affiliation: Aspetar Orthopaedic and Sports Medicine Hospital, Doha, Qatar.
authors.forename: Stephen
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Targett
authors.affiliation: Aspetar Orthopaedic and Sports Medicine Hospital, Doha, Qatar Department of Orthopaedics, Oslo University Hospital, Oslo, Norway.
authors.forename: Tone
authors.initials: T
authors.lastname: Bere
authors.affiliation: Aspetar Orthopaedic and Sports Medicine Hospital, Doha, Qatar.
authors.forename: Maria-Carmen
authors.initials: MC
authors.lastname: Adamuz
authors.affiliation: Aspetar Orthopaedic and Sports Medicine Hospital, Doha, Qatar The Sports Physician Group, Department of Sports Medicine, St Lucas Andreas Hospital, Amsterdam, The Netherlands Amsterdam Center of Evidence Based Sports Medicine, Academic Medical Center, Amsterdam, The Netherlands.
authors.forename: Johannes L
authors.initials: JL
authors.lastname: Tol
authors.affiliation: Aspetar Orthopaedic and Sports Medicine Hospital, Doha, Qatar.
authors.forename: Rod
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: Whiteley
authors.affiliation: Aspetar Orthopaedic and Sports Medicine Hospital, Doha, Qatar Research Institute of Sport and Exercise Sciences, Liverpool John Moores University, Liverpool, UK Research Institute of Sport and Exercise Sciences, University of Canberra, Australia.
authors.forename: Mathew G
authors.initials: MG
authors.lastname: Wilson
authors.affiliation: Aspetar Orthopaedic and Sports Medicine Hospital, Doha, Qatar.
authors.forename: Erik
authors.initials: E
authors.lastname: Witvrouw
authors.affiliation: Aspetar Orthopaedic and Sports Medicine Hospital, Doha, Qatar.
authors.forename: Karim M
authors.initials: KM
authors.lastname: Khan
authors.affiliation: Aspetar Orthopaedic and Sports Medicine Hospital, Doha, Qatar Department of Sports Medicine, Oslo Sports Trauma Research Center, Norwegian School of Sport Sciences, Oslo, Norway.
authors.forename: Roald
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: Bahr
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D056352:Athletes; D004452:Echocardiography; D004562:Electrocardiography; D006304:Health Status; D006331:Heart Diseases / Q000175:diagnosis; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D009140:Musculoskeletal Diseases / Q000175:diagnosis; D010808:Physical Examination; D015995:Prevalence; D011780:Qatar / Q000453:epidemiology; D012307:Risk Factors; D012916:Soccer; D013178:Sports Medicine / Q000592:standards; D055815:Young Adult
keywords: Football; Health promotion; Injury prevention; Prevention; Sports medicine