[Sudden death in young athletes].
Sudden cardiac death in a young athlete is a tragic and marking event, even though the media attention it gets is more important than its incidence (1-2/100000 per year). The main etiology is hypertrophic cardiomyopathy, followed by coronary artery anomalies. Sometimes signs of myocarditis are found at autopsy. The pre-participation examination recommandations ask for oriented history and physical examination, routine EKG being controversial. A systematic screening program in Italy has reduced the occurrence of such deaths, which statistics are non-existant in Switzerland. It would be appropriate to implement a standardized pre-participation examination, as well as to make sure that the trainers, teachers and athletes themselves are able to recognize the frequent warning symptoms.
Gojanovic
B
B
Division de Physiopathologie clinique, CHUV, Lausanne. boris.gojanovic@chuv.ch
Feihl
F
F
Gremion
G
G
Waeber
B
B
D000293:Adolescent; D000328:Adult; D002312:Cardiomyopathy, Hypertrophic / Q000175:diagnosis / Q000401:mortality; D002423:Cause of Death; D002648:Child; D003330:Coronary Vessel Anomalies / Q000175:diagnosis / Q000401:mortality; D003430:Cross-Sectional Studies; D016757:Death, Sudden, Cardiac / Q000453:epidemiology / Q000209:etiology* / Q000517:prevention & control; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D008403:Mass Screening; D010808:Physical Examination; D012307:Risk Factors; D013177:Sports; D017180:Tachycardia, Ventricular / Q000175:diagnosis / Q000401:mortality