Sudden Cardiac Death (Scd) in Athletes: A Mini-Review



Soori R¹ ; Gharehlo AAN¹ ; Hashemi N¹ ; Hashemi N¹ ; Ingle L³
Source: World Heart Journal Published:2020

Abstract

Sudden death has become a public health problem. Elite young athletes with clinically silent cardiovascular disorders are at risk of sudden cardiac death (SCD) in competitive sports activity. SCD is caused by a variety of conditions; in middle-aged/senior athletes, atherosclerotic coronary artery disease accounts for the vast majority of cases. In younger athletes, the spectrum of SCD causes is broader and includes inherited (cardiomyopathies) and congenital structural heart disease. Inherited ion channelopathies have been implicated also, with an apparently normal heart morphology identified at autopsy. SCD screening allows identification of athletes affected by occult conditions at a pre-symptomatic stage, and may lead to reduction of risk of SCD during sporting competition or training. The use of modern criteria for interpretation of the electrocardiogram (ECG) offers the potential to improve screening accuracy by reducing the number of false positives. Exercise testing in middle aged/senior athletes engaged in leisure sports activity is likely to be effective in screening significant coronary risk factors, while it is less effective in lower risk groups. Besides screening, the availability of automated external defibrillators at sporting environments is a preventative strategy to help intervene during unexpected cardiac arrest. © 2020 Nova Science Publishers, Inc.