In a surprising revelation, researchers have said that even Olympic athletes are not immune to cardiovascular disorders despite their high levels of fitness and call for regular screening of athletes to ensure that they are competing safely without putting their life on the line.
Based on a study of more than 2,000 athletes eligible for the summer and winter Olympic games, the research sheds light on how cardiovascular abnormalities are common in people who are generally deemed to be some of the fittest on Earth.
The study, reported at EuroPRevent 2015, assessed the cardiovascular health of 2354 elite athletes (1435 male, 919 female, mean age 27.6 years) as part of their screening to compete in Olympic games from 2004 onwards. The screening tests took place between 2002 and 2014. The athletes were engaged in 31 different summer and 15 different winter sports disciplines. Their screening included a physical examination, 12-lead and exercise ECG, and echocardiography. Further tests, which included 24-hour ECG monitoring, were given selectively to confirm earlier diagnoses.
The findings were startling. 171 of the 2354 athletes screened (7.3 per cent) had some form of cardiovascular abnormality, either structural or electrophysiological (causing a heart rhythm problem). The abnormality in six of the 171 athletes was considered life-threatening and they were disqualified from competition.
The abnormalities detected included cardiomyopathies and coronary heart disease. Hypertrophic cardiomyopathy is one of the most common causes of sudden cardiac death. A further 24 athletes were temporarily suspended but were eventually allowed to take part in the Olympic games under close medical surveillance.
Commenting on the results, Dr Paulo Emilio Adami from the Institute of Sport Medicine and Science of the Italian Olympic Committee in Rome, said: “It is really surprising that Olympic athletes, who are considered some of the healthiest individuals, should have such significant abnormalities . . . and that despite these abnormalities they had managed to reach such high competitive levels. In most of the cases, their abnormalities had gone unrecognised, because the screenings they had previously had were not as extensive and thorough as the ones we applied.
“We cannot take it for granted that elite athletes are healthy. This study demonstrates that a more accurate assessment is necessary for elite professional athletes than for members of the general population, in view of the intensity and stress on their cardiovascular system through so many hours of training and competition. We suggest that our model of screening is applied to all elite athletes, regardless of the sport they practise.”
Dr Adami added that all those wishing to participate in competitive sports should have a medical evaluation, to make sure “that our athletes are competing safely, free from any cardiovascular condition”.
Screening for leisure athletes, he proposed, would depend on the characteristics of the sport and the volume of exercise. “As a general rule,” said Dr Adami, “I would advise a visit to a sports medicine doctor or the GP beforehand, especially to those who are very unfit or sedentary.
However, preparticipation of athletes and sports players is controversial, mainly because studies have not yet confirmed beyond doubt that a mass population screening programme would actually detect all the higher risk cases. One study found that around 800 athletes would need to be denied sports activity to prevent one sudden death. Most evidence in favour of screening comes – like this study – from Italy, where a programme to screen all teens and adults in organised sports was introduced in 1982.
In the Veneto region of Italy, for example, the annual incidence of sudden cardiac death in athletes decreased by 89% (from 3.6/100,000 person-years in 1979-1980 to 0.4/100,000 person-years in 2003-2004 – whereas the incidence of sudden death among the unscreened non-athletic population did not change significantly. Today, Italians are not eligible for competitive sports until their cardiovascular health has been confirmed.
Probably due to all the sodium and calories they have to take in to keep up their performance. Not that bad a problem to have though, since Heart disease can be eliminated through diet and exercise changes, which I’ve learned from myself after struggling with (and beating) heart disease for most of my life There’s a book that helped me out through the entire process, check my profile to see the review site that outlines it (3 Step Heart Cure).
They are prone to it.
Anyone who puts stress on their heart is putting themselves at risk of heart-attacks.
The main medical cause of death in healthy people of all ages is heart-attack, because so many people fall for the ‘diet and exercise fads’ that prey on stupid people to make their money!