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Pathology of Sudden Death in Young Athletes: The European Experience

  • Chapter
Arrhythmias and Sudden Death in Athletes

Part of the book series: Developments in Cardiovascular Medicine ((DICM,volume 232))

Abstract

For centuries it was a mystery why cardiac arrest should occur in young vigorous athletes, who had previously achieved extraordinary exercise performance without complaining of any symptoms. The cause was generally ascribed to myocardial infarction, even though evidence of regional ischemic myocyte necrosis had rarely been reported. It is now clear that the usual mechanism is an abrupt arrhythmia, that a wide spectrum of cardiovascular abnormalities may cause sudden death in young athletes and that even minor lesions may be life-threatening by jeopardizing the electrical order of the heart during effort (1–16). The culprit diseases are clinically covert and unlikely to be diagnosed or suspected. Early identification might reduce the risk and incidence of sudden death and systematic preparticipation screening for qualification of individuals embarking in competitive sports is now carried out in some countries such as Italy. However, the efficacy and cost-effectiveness of this screening is the subject of debate.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Institute of Pathological Anatomy, University of Padua Medical School, Padua, Italy

    G. Thiene, C. Basso & D. Corrado

Authors
  1. G. Thiene
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  2. C. Basso
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  3. D. Corrado
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Editor information

Editors and Affiliations

  1. Institut Catala Cardiologia-Hosp., Sant Pau, Barcelona, Spain

    A. Bayés de Luna

  2. Istituto Scientifico H. S. Raffaele, Milan-Rome, Italy

    F. Furlanello

  3. Minneapolis Heart Institute Foundation, Minneapolis, Minnesota, USA

    B. J. Maron

  4. Krannert Institute of Cardiology, Indiana University School of Medicine and the Roudebush Veterans Administration Medical Center, Indianapolis, Indiana, USA

    D. P. Zipes

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Thiene, G., Basso, C., Corrado, D. (2000). Pathology of Sudden Death in Young Athletes: The European Experience. In: de Luna, A.B., Furlanello, F., Maron, B.J., Zipes, D.P. (eds) Arrhythmias and Sudden Death in Athletes. Developments in Cardiovascular Medicine, vol 232. Springer, Dordrecht. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-94-017-0789-3_5

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/978-94-017-0789-3_5

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