Thursday, March 22, 2012

Sudden Cardiac Death in Athletes

Well it is no secret to those that know me that I still have a boyhood obsession for football (soccer),  


I get a little nervy when a cardiac event occurring on the football pitch makes international headlines, raising the question about cardiac risks in athletes. Here is an article in the BBC on the case of a recent English Premier League footballer who collapsed during a match.


Fortunately, sudden death in young athletes is a rare event. Most deaths in young athletes are not secondary to conventional coronary artery disease. Genetic abnormalities, such as hypertrophic cardiomyopathy,  are usually associated with arrhythmias - irregular heart beats and sudden death. Having a genetic abnormality and playing a sport at a high level may increase the risk. These abnormalities may be difficult to detect, despite comprehensive testing.


For a more complete medical review on the matter, I defer you to this article, published in Current Opinion in Critical Care.