Abstract

1. Sudden cardiac death during vigorous exercise is an extremely rare occurence, especially during organized competitive athletic events. 2. Instantaneous deaths usually occur during exercise and probably are caused by cardiac arrest and not myocardial infarction. 3. The incidence of SCD during sporting activities in the general population may be slightly higher than when not exercising. Any excess risk during exercise resides in those individuals with underlying cardiac disease. 4. Of all SCD that occur, a greater percentage occurs during sporting activities in men than women and in younger men than older men. This increased rate is directly related to the amount of time participating in vigorous sporting activities. 6. Above age 40, the primary cause of SCD is coronary atherosclerosis. 7. Especially in the young, SCD may be the first symptom - but more extensive evaluation would have detected underlying disease. 8. SCD due to coronary atherosclerosis frequently occurs in the presence of major risk factors - especially hypercholesterolemia and hypertension. 9. Increased medical screening will detect additional high risk candidates for SCD during sporting activities. New echocardiographic procedures and radionuclide imaging during exercise appears attractive for high risk candidates. Verf.-Referat (gekuerzt)