A Heart for Sports
March 10, 2007 by Lei
Filed under Diseases & Conditions
Prevention is important. But there are some heart conditions you can’t prevent even if you’re eating the perfect diet, doing the perfect amount of exercise, and leading the perfect life. Hypertrophic cardiomyopathy (HCM) is a hereditary heart disease that leads to thickening of the heart wall. While some people with HCM experience chest pain, light-headedness, dizziness, and other symptoms, many do not. And in young patients, the first sign of HCM is sudden death.
You would think that athletes would exemplify healthy living. But because they routinely push their bodies to perform at extreme levels, it’s especially important that they be screened for HCM. Sudden death can strike athletes of any sport and is most common in basketball and football players in the US and soccer (football) players in Europe. In student athletes, HCM is the leading cause of sudden death. A Heart For Sports aims to prevent sudden cardiac death by providing echocardiogram and electrocardiogram screenings to student athletes for free.
Founder Seaneen Greaves:
These young athletes, who appeared healthy before they died, are often found to have suffered from unsuspected heart disease. Our mission is to raise awareness that the pre-participation sports physical exams are simply not adequate in most cases. Better cardiac evaluation should be provided along with the taking of a detailed medical and family history is necessary.
Prevention goes a long way, but not always all the way. Routine and thorough check-ups are also important for establishing a baseline of heart disease risk.
Learn more about athletes and heart disease at STLtoday.com.
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Tags: football, basketball, soccer, athletes, heart, heart disease, diseases, illness, health, medicine, heart for sports
