June 20, 2018Open Access
Sudden cardiac death in young people and athletes
Key Result
Preparticipation cardiovascular screening incorporating a 12-lead electrocardiogram is a life-saving strategy that significantly reduces the incidence of sudden cardiac death among young competitive athletes.
Structured PICO
P
Population
Young people and athletes
I
Intervention
Preparticipation screening and early defibrillation
O
Outcome
Sudden cardiac death
Preparticipation screening in young athletes may identify asymptomatic individuals with potentially lethal cardiovascular abnormalities, protecting them from sudden cardiac death.
Limitations
- The assessment of the precise frequency of sudden death is hampered by the retrospective nature of most analyses.
- The screening sensitivity for cardiovascular disorders responsible for sudden death in the young is not 100%.
- The screening ability to detect young competitive athletes with either premature coronary atherosclerosis or anomalous coronary artery is limited by the scarcity of previous symptoms and baseline ECG signs.
Abstract
The sudden death of a young subject or athlete is a rare but tragic event. The most common mechanism of cardiac arrest leading to sudden death is abrupt ventricular fibrillation as a consequence of an underlying cardiovascular disease. The culprit diseases are often clinically silent and unlikely to be suspected or diagnosed on the basis of spontaneous symptoms. The longrunning Italian experience with medical evaluation of young individuals before their participation in sports has provided compelling evidence that screening the young populations for at-risk cardiac diseases offers the potential to identify asymptomatic athletes who have potentially lethal cardiovascular abnormalities and may protect them from the risk of sudden death. In this review we will discuss cardiovascular causes of sudden death in young people and athletes with particular emphasis on pathological findings and pathophysiology of sudden cardiac arrest. Occurrence of prodromal symptoms, possible early diagnosis at preparticipation screening and early defibrillation in the sports arenas will also be addressed.