Why the study?
Athletes rarely experience sudden cardiac death without preceding symptoms, necessitating an understanding of the underlying causes, consensuses, and controversies.
This review highlights that sudden cardiac death in athletes has distinct etiologies based on age and emphasizes the importance of tailored pre-participation screening and emergency preparedness.
Supports age-specific screening and AED access in athletes; reinforces consensus yet leaves efficacy open to prospective study.
Exercise is widely considered beneficial for cardiovascular health. However, on rare occasions, athletes experience sudden cardiac death without any preceding symptoms. The devastating nature of these events necessitates us to understand the underlying causes. In younger athletes (age <35), the underlying causes are usually hereditary/genetic, whereas in older athletes (age >35), coronary artery disease is prevalent. Sudden cardiac death in athletes can occur regardless of the presence of any structural abnormality in the heart. Despite divergence between guidelines, the majority of cardiology societies recommend at least taking a comprehensive history and performing physical examinations for initial screening for all athletes. This article reviews the consensuses and controversies regarding the incidence, causes, and prevention of sudden cardiac death in athletes.
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Ghani et al. (2023) studied this question.
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