Luz Saúde : Helder Dores Receives Doctorate in Medicine with Praise and Distinction

Helder Dores Receives Doctorate in Medicine with Praise and Distinction

29-05-19

Helder Dores, cardiologist responsible for the area of Sports Cardiology from Hospital da Luz Lisboa, completed on May 20 his doctorate degree in Medicine - clinical research at Nova Medical School. His doctoral thesis - entitled 'Cardiovascular risk assessment in athletes - The role of electrocardiography and imaging' - earned the unanimous approval of the jury, with praise and distinction.

The thesis was based on a research developed since 2014, focused on athletes' precompetitive evaluation, young and veteran athletes, with special emphasis on different controversial aspects of the methodologies currently recommended. It includes 21 articles published in Revista Portuguesa de Cardiologia and in several international scientific journals, mostly resulting from original research and in partnership with different national and international institutions.

Among his conclusions, Helder Dores highlights that the interpretation of the athlete's EKG (electrocardiogram) based on specific and more restrictive criteria, is related with a significant reduction of the rate of false positives and of the costs involving additional complementary exams. Furthermore, the characteristics of exercise should be considered in the athlete's evaluation, since they induce different electrical, structural and functional cardiac remodelling, and the reduction of strain longitudinal global in athletes may correspond to a supplemental characteristic of the 'athlete's heart'.

The thesis advisors were Pedro Araújo Gonçalves, Nuno Cardim and Nuno Neuparth.

In the photo above, the new doctorate and the jury: from left to right, Ricardo Fontes Carvalho, Rogério Teixeira, Fernando Miguel Xavier (president), Helder Dores, Ana Abreu and Pedro Araújo Gonçalves.