Sudden Cardiac Death in Athletes: Consensuses and Controversies

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.

Citation

Ghani U, Farooq O, Alam S, Khan MJ, Rahim O, Rahim S. Sudden Cardiac Death in Athletes: Consensuses and Controversies. Cureus. 2023 Jun 2;15(6):e39873. doi: 10.7759/cureus.39873. PMID: 37404395; PMCID: PMC10315103.

DOI

10.7759/cureus.39873

URI

https://hdl.handle.net/20.500.14709/510

Usage rights

CC-BY 4.0

License

https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/