Sudden cardiac death and sports

Abstract

So far, sports-related sudden death has been mainly studied through young competitive athletes. The national sports-related sudden death French registry (2005-2010) is the first study evaluating sudden death during sports activities in the general population, estimating that approximately 1000 cases occur each year in France. The vast majority occurs among middle age men practicing recreational activities, with women presenting a very low risk (up to 30-fold lower) compared to men. Outcomes dramatically vary across districts with survival to hospital discharge from 0 to 50%. Those differences are mainly the result of major disparities between districts regarding cardiopulmonary resuscitation initiated by bystanders. Coronary artery disease remains the most frequent cardiovascular disease associated with such events.