Sudden cardiac death and guidelines for pre-participation examination in athletes

Pre-participation screening of young competitive athletes for prevention of sudden cardiac death.

In 1982 a nationwide program of pre-participation screening including 12-lead electrocardiography (ECG) was launched in Italy. The aim of this article is to examine whether this 25-year screening program should be considered a valid and advisable public health strategy. The analysis of data coming from the long-running Italian experience indicates that ECG screening has provided adequate sensit...

sudden cardiac death in young athletes

Sudden cardiac death in young athletes

Athletic activity is associated with an increased risk of sudden death for individuals with some congenital or acquired heart disorders. This review considers in particular the causes of death affecting athletes below 35 years of age. In this age group the largest proportion of deaths are caused by diseases with autosomal dominant inheritance such as hypertrophic cardiomyopathy, arrhythmogenic ...

Sudden Cardiac Death in Young Athletes

Sudden cardiac death (SCD) in an athlete is a rare yet highly visible tragedy that generates significant media attention and discussion among medical personnel, sports communities, and laypersons alike. The incidence of SCD is greater in athletes compared with their nonathletic counterparts due to the increased risk associated with strenuous exercise in the context of a quiescent cardiac abnorm...

Sudden cardiac death in young competitive athletes.

ABSTRACT: When an athlete suffers a sudden cardiac death, particularly while participating in a sport being viewed by thousands of spectators, it is a rare and catastrophic event that generates a great deal of discussion among the general public and medical community. Many cardiovascular conditions can predispose an athlete to such an event. The most common causes of sudden cardiac death in ath...