High Number of Medical Conditions Detected in Elite Athlete Periodic Health Evaluations, But Only Mild Consequences

Abstract

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Comprehensive periodic health evaluations of 454 Norwegian Paralympic and Olympic athletes over 8 years: what did we learn?

“…1 In elite sport, health promotion programmes often combine an initial PHE followed by monitoring of both existing and new health problems. [2][3][4][5][6][7] Despite the widespread use of PHEs in elite sports, their effectiveness in detecting health problems and their relevant risk factors is debated. [7][8][9] While predicting future injury risk through specific tests probably is unrealistic, 10 a PHE can potentially serve several other purposes, as described in the International Olympic Committee (IOC) consensus statement on PHE of elite athletes: (1) identifying existing health conditions and evaluating the current situation, (2) reviewing medications and dietary supplements to avoid inadvertent doping, (3) strengthening the personal relationship between…”

“…Despite the widespread use of PHEs in elite sports, their effectiveness in detecting health problems and their relevant risk factors is debated. 7–9 While predicting future injury risk through specific tests probably is unrealistic, 10 a PHE can potentially serve several other purposes, as described in the International Olympic Committee (IOC) consensus statement on PHE of elite athletes: (1) identifying existing health conditions and evaluating the current situation, (2) reviewing medications and dietary supplements to avoid inadvertent doping, (3) strengthening the personal relationship between the medical team and the athlete, (4) providing a baseline health and performance profile in the event of future injury or illness and (5) meeting the legal requirement of the governing body in question. 1 7 10 …”