A blog post on the Hippocratic Post discusses sudden cardiac death in people under the age of 35, which it says happens to 12 people a week in Britain, often with no warning signs.
Sudden cardiac death is an umbrella term used for the many different causes of cardiac arrest.
‘Sudden cardiac death is defined as an event that is non-traumatic, non-violent, unexpected, and resulting from sudden cardiac arrest within six hours of previously witnessed normal health.’ (Sharma et al, 1997. Br J Sports Med).
These conditions include thickening or abnormal structure of the heart muscle and irregularities of the electrical impulses that upset the natural rhythm of the heart and lead to cardiac arrhythmias.
Every year there are more high profile sports people such as James Taylor and Fabrice Muamba who are diagnosed with life-threatening heart conditions. There have been 10 cardiac deaths in the London Marathon since 1981 and sadly there are not infrequent occurrences of children suddenly dying on the sports pitch.
Read more at www.hippocraticpost.com
