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Sudden cardiac death in athletes: A mini-review

Soori, Rahman; Gharehlo, Ali; Hashemi, Naeimeh; Hashemi, Narges; Ingle, Lee

Authors

Rahman Soori

Ali Gharehlo

Naeimeh Hashemi

Narges Hashemi



Abstract

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.

Citation

Soori, R., Gharehlo, A., Hashemi, N., Hashemi, N., & Ingle, L. (2020). Sudden cardiac death in athletes: A mini-review. World Heart Journal, 21(1), 71-76

Journal Article Type Article
Acceptance Date Jan 22, 2020
Publication Date 2020
Deposit Date Jan 22, 2020
Publicly Available Date Mar 29, 2024
Journal World Heart Journal
Print ISSN 1556-4002
Publisher Nova Science Publishers
Peer Reviewed Peer Reviewed
Volume 21
Issue 1
Pages 71-76
Keywords Athletes; Death; Cardiac; Screening
Public URL https://hull-repository.worktribe.com/output/3378249
Publisher URL http://www.novapublishers.org/catalog/product_info.php?products_id=66278

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©2020 The authors. All rights reserved. No part of this publication may be reproduced without the written permission of the copyright holder





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