Articles tagged ‘sudden death’

Mandatory electrocardiographic (ECG) screening of athletes prior to competition is ineffective as a precaution against sudden death, according to a study¹ published recently in the Journal of the American College of Cardiology.

Forensic pathologists have shown that over three per cent of all sudden deaths in south-west Spain are related to the use of cocaine. They believe their findings can be extrapolated to much of the rest of Europe, indicating that cocaine use is a growing public health problem in Europe and that there is no such thing as “safe” recreational use of small amounts of the drug.


At a meeting on Sudden Cardiac Death (SCD) at the Royal Society of Medicine, sponsored by Cardiac Risk in the Young (CRY), doctors have called for coroners to routinely request consent from relatives to allow small amounts of tissue to be retained from young people (under 35 year olds) who die suddenly from heart disease or without explanation.

The benefits derived from competitive sports and endurance training comes with a real – even if rare – twist. Because, while most people will enjoy the benefits and pleasures of exercise, there are a few for whom regular athletic training will increase the risk of cardiac arrhythmias and even sudden death, especially among those in middle-age or with pre-existing cardiac diseases.