Sudden death of young people during sports ‘often preceded by symptoms’
A large proportion of young athletes who die suddenly while exercising or playing sports have symptoms just prior to the game, a study has found.
Among 110 cases of sudden cardiac death linked to sports or other exertion, 40% had chest pain, syncope or other symptoms 30 minutes prior to their cardiac event, Australian coronial data show.
The researchers, led by cardiologist Professor Han Lim from the University of Melbourne, found the most common activities linked with sudden death among people aged 10-35 were Australian rules football, running, jogging and soccer.
Overall, the researchers found a “high occurrence” of coronary artery disease (CAD) and sudden arrhythmic death syndrome (SADS), which accounted for 37% and 20% of deaths, respectively.
