Sudden cardiac death in athletes – can we prevent it?

SŁOWIACZEK, Anna, MATYKA, Kamila, WOJNAR, Marcin, WILCZEWSKA, Ewelina, SUTKOWSKI, Jakub, MATYSZEWSKA, Aleksandra & BARANOWSKA, Alicja. Sudden cardiac death in athletes – can we prevent it? Journal of Education, Health and Sport. 2023;13(5):27-32. eISSN 2391-8306. DOI http://dx.doi.org/10.12775/JEHS.2023.13.05.003

https://apcz.umk.pl/JEHS/article/view/42583

https://zenodo.org/record/7701616

 

 

 

 

 

The journal has had 40 points in Ministry of Education and Science of Poland parametric evaluation. Annex to the announcement of the Minister of Education and Science of December 21, 2021. No. 32343.

Has a Journal's Unique Identifier: 201159. Scientific disciplines assigned: Physical Culture Sciences (Field of Medical sciences and health sciences); Health Sciences (Field of Medical Sciences and Health Sciences).

Punkty Ministerialne z 2019 - aktualny rok 40 punktów. Załącznik do komunikatu Ministra Edukacji i Nauki z dnia 21 grudnia 2021 r. Lp. 32343. Posiada Unikatowy Identyfikator Czasopisma: 201159.

Przypisane dyscypliny naukowe: Nauki o kulturze fizycznej (Dziedzina nauk medycznych i nauk o zdrowiu); Nauki o zdrowiu (Dziedzina nauk medycznych i nauk o zdrowiu).

© The Authors 2023;

This article is published with open access at Licensee Open Journal Systems of Nicolaus Copernicus University in Torun, Poland

Open Access. This article is distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution Noncommercial License which permits any noncommercial use, distribution, and reproduction in any medium, provided the original author (s) and source are credited. This is an open access article licensed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution Non commercial license Share alike.

(http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-sa/4.0/) which permits unrestricted, non commercial use, distribution and reproduction in any medium, provided the work is properly cited.

The authors declare that there is no conflict of interests regarding the publication of this paper.

Received: 14.02.2023. Revised: 22.02.2023. Accepted: 01.03.2023. Published: 06.03.2023.

 

 

 

 

 

Sudden cardiac death in athletes – can we prevent it?

Anna Słowiaczek

Dolnośląskie Centrum Onkologii, Pulmonologii i Hematologii we Wrocławiu

ORCID: 0000-0002-8971-8646

slowiaczek.anna@gmail.com

 

Kamila Matyka

Dolnośląskie Centrum Onkologii, Pulmonologii i Hematologii we Wrocławiu

ORCID: 0000-0003-4650-3079

kamilamatyka@gmail.com

 

Marcin Wojnar

Dolnośląski Szpital Specjalistyczny im. T. Marciniaka - Centrum Medycyny Ratunkowej we Wrocławiu

ORCID: 0000-0002-4092-8335

w.marcin19@gmail.com

 

Ewelina Wilczewska

Uniwersytecki Szpital Kliniczny im. Jana Mikulicza-Radeckiego we Wrocławiu

ORCID: 0000-0003-3861-1555

ewelina.wilcz@gmail.com

 

Jakub Sutkowski

Dolnośląskie Centrum Onkologii, Pulmonologii i Hematologii we Wrocławiu

ORCID: 0000-0001-8970-1716

jsutkowski.sc@gmail.com

Aleksandra Matyszewska

Dolnośląskie Centrum Onkologii, Pulmonologii i Hematologii we Wrocławiu

ORCID: 0000-0003-3608-5803

aleksandramatyszewska@gmail.com

 

Alicja Baranowska

Szpital Miejski w Siemianowicach Śląskich

ORCID: 0000-0002-0558-4194

alicja.baranowska.priv@gmail.com

 

 

Abstract

Introduction and purpose: Sudden cardiac death (SCD) is a rare condition, however it is the leading medical cause of death in population of athletes. This study reviews the epidemiology and common causes of SCD in this group. The literature on the role of pre-participation screening and of the other preventive measures was also reviewed.

Review methods: A review of the available literature on sudden cardiac death in athletes was conducted using PubMed and Google Scholar databases.

Description of the state of knowledge: SCD is the leading cause of death in athletes. However, the incidence is difficult to estimate and varies in different populations. The etiology is age-dependent, in young individuals the most common cause of sudden cardiac death are hypertrophic cardiomyopathy and congenital coronary artery anomalies. In the older athlete population (over 35 years old) atherosclerotic coronary artery disease is the main cause. Screening process varies between countries and besides taking the medical history and physical examination can involve electrocardiogram, echocardiography and other examinations.

Conclusions: A review of the following studies has shown, that pre-participation screening of athletes may help to reduce the incidence of sudden death. Equal focus should be put on the availability of medical facilities during sports events, including experienced medical team and access to automated external defibrillation.

Key words: sudden cardiac death; sport-related death; hypertrophic cardiomyopathy; pre-participation screening