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What Are The Causes Of Sudden Cardiac Death In Athletes?
As its name implies, sudden
cardiac death is sudden and unexpected, with death occurring within minutes
after collapse. It is more common in older folks with serious heart problems,
but it can also happen to young and healthy people with no sign of heart
disease.
Nonetheless, sudden cardiac death
is not common in athletes at all, according to research conducted in United
States.
Besides hypertrophic
cardiomyopathy, scarring of heart and serious blockage of a few blood vessels
supplying blood to the heart that can make athletes die instantly, there are
also other rare causes including congenital abnormalities, congenital long QT
syndrome, arrhythmogenic right ventricular dysplasia, and commotion cordis.
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Congenital
Abnormalities
These abnormalities are due to the heart arteries arising from the
wrong position (right artery from the left sinus, or left artery
from the right sinus). Detection of this condition is not easy unless
with the help of echocardiography, angiogram, CT scan or MRI scan.
Once detected, it should be corrected surgically before the athlete
is allowed to participate in competitive sports.
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Congenital Long QT
Syndrome
This occurs when the electrical activity in the heart that
corresponds to the phase of muscle relaxation is too long. The
condition is genetically determined.
In certain forms of this disease, exercise is actually a trigger for
ventricular tachycardia or fibrillation, lethal arrhythmias which
may cause sudden cardiac death.
The condition can be diagnosed by an electrocardiogram.
As a precaution, all other family members of a person, who is found
to have this condition, should go for a medical scan.
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Arrhythmogenic Right
Ventricular Dysplasia
This is also a genetic condition in which the muscle in the right
lower chamber is replaced by fat and scars. The scars predispose the
sufferer to ventricular tachycardia and fibrillation.
Again, this condition is very difficult to diagnose unless MRI scan
is employed.
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Commotio Cordis
This cause of sudden cardiac death occurs in the absence of any
heart disease, and is due to a blunt blow to the part of the chest
overlying the heart (such as that caused by base ball, hockey puck,
or even an innocent slap on the chest) at the precise moment of the
heart’s relaxation. This is the time when the heart is most
vulnerable to ventricular fibrillation.
It may sound incredible, but
commotio cordis happens in about 2 percent of all athletes who die suddenly.
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