Medical Checks for Professional Football Players in Franceville, Gabon.

THE AIM OF THE STUDY: To describe the clinical and non-clinical characteristics of Gabon footballers in the Haut-Ogooue Polyclinic in Franceville, Gabon, during visits, to assess whether they are not contraceptive to sports. PATIENTS AND METHODS: A descriptive and analytical cross-sectional study was conducted in the city of Franceville, Gabon, in May 2022. The first and second divisions of footballers were subjected to medical examinations to determine whether they had any contraindications for playing sports, including clinical examinations, rest electrocardiograms (ECG), rest cardiac ultrasounds, chest X-rays, Rick-Dickson and biological checks. RESULTS: The average age of 88 footballers (22-25 years) was 23 years. Blood pressure (BP) is abnormal in 19% of players, and alcohol and tobacco consumption is reported in 70% and 30%, respectively. Exercise adaptation was also closely associated with age (P = 0.00137724; P = 0.008974301), football position (P = 0.009957548; P = 0.006646182) and alcohol consumption (P = 0.000531971). Electrical and biological changes were 16% and 86.79%, respectively. Sinus bradycardia and first-degree atrioventricular block are the most common ECG abnormalities. Metabolic, inflammatory, infectious, electrolyte and anaemia syndromes were found in 22.64%, 24.53%, 19.81%, 7.55% and 12.26%, respectively. Midfielders and defenders have shown the greatest changes in biological parameters. CONCLUSION: Medical checks are essential to determine if sports are contraindicated, as they can help identify physiological and pathological conditions and improve the monitoring of athletes.

Early Alterations of QTc in Patients with COVID-19 Treated with Hydroxychloroquine or Chloroquine in Libreville, Gabon.

The objective of this study was to analyze the effect of hydroxychloroquine or chloroquine associated with azithromycin on the QTc interval in Gabonese patients treated for COVID-19. METHODS: This was an observational study conducted from April to June 2020, at the Libreville University Hospital Center in Gabon. Patients admitted for COVID-19 and treated with hydroxychloroquine or chloroquine, each combined with azithromycin were included. The QTc interval was measured upon admission and 48 h after starting treatment. The primary endpoint was QTc prolongation exceeding 60 ms and/or a QTc value exceeding 500 ms at 48 h. RESULTS: Data from 224 patients, 102 (45.5%) who received hydroxychloroquine and 122 treated with chloroquine, were analyzed. The median baseline QTc was 396 (369-419) ms. After 48 h of treatment, 50 (22.3%) patients had a significant prolongation of QTc. This tended to be more frequent in patients treated with chloroquine (n = 33; 27.0%) than in those treated with hydroxychloroquine (n = 17; 16.7%) (p = 0.06). QTc prolongation exceeding 60 ms was found in 48 (21.3%) patients, while 11 patients had a (4.9%) QTc exceeding 60 ms at admission and exceeding 500 ms after 48 h. CONCLUSION: Early QTc prolongation is frequent in COVID-19 patients treated with hydroxychloroquine or chloroquine in association with azithromycin.