Incidence and Causes of Sudden Cardiac Death in Recreational Athletes

Abstract

Sudden cardiac death (SCD) during sports activities accounts for a small but significant proportion of all SCD, with recent studies consistently reporting around 5% of overall SCD occurring during sporting activity. The emphasis on young competitive athletes as opposed to recreational sports participants is discordant with the relative magnitudes of the respective problems, which was recently highlighted by several recent population-based studies. There is a crucial need to focus attention on this large at-risk population of subjects. Although coronary artery disease represents the vast majority of underlying mechanisms in recreational middle age cases, cardiomyopathies and inherited electrical disorders remain significant among the youngest. Strategies to reduce SCD burden related to sports should incorporate targeted screening, public education and consideration of warming symptoms, improving rates of bystander CPR and early AED use.