Guardian Angel (heiliger Schutzengel) Originals

The sudden death of young people and sports enthusiasts. The search for silent killers

of Pietro Delise

Heart disease preference for adults and the elderly. However, it is the common experience that, although rarely, sudden unexpected deaths can occur in young subjects. These deaths are apparently inexplicable is the strangeness of their youth but also because often affect athletes, whose heart should be healthier and stronger than the others. Those who follow the chronicles of the newspaper will remind sensational cases, such as that of the players or Foe Puerta and others.

In fact, these deaths are not inexplicable. On the contrary, today we know exactly the cause. This is a series of diseases, mostly of a genetic (ie heritable) where the defect is present at birth but later developed the disease (usually 14 to 30 years). In other words, a person with a disease inherited at birth may be apparently healthy for 15 years but develop signs of disease (phenotype) in 20 years. The list of these diseases is long: arrhythmogenic right ventricular cardiomyopathy, hypertrophic cardiomyopathy, long QT syndrome, Brugada syndrome etc.. It is silent killer because symptoms often do not give striking and do not limit the ability to do physical activity is also intense. However, they have the dangerous characteristic can cause ventricular fibrillation, a sort of electrical short circuit that suddenly paralyzes the heart. In many of them it is the physical strain that triggers the fatal arrhythmia.

The fact that this is a silent killer, does not mean it can not be identified before they cause irreparable damage to the fact. On the contrary, a good medical examination and a simple EKG the eye of an expert cardiologist or at least knows how to identify suspect in most cases. Weighs heavily in cases at increased risk family history of a relative, even at a distance, died unexpectedly at a young age. In cases of doubt you can do additional tests to get your confirmation. In other words, today we have the means to prevent most of these deaths tragic. Of course, not everything is easy. Sometimes escapes control. Often it is also not easy to convince a person that feels good to do exams Supplementary or even force him to abandon the sport because ill. But if the athlete is a professional difficulties are multiplied by the tangle of interests that you should not touch.

In Italy for many years closely inspect our athletes and this helps us in the law that gives the doctor the power to veto. Abroad is not always is not. Making a good effort and prevention costs money and impose it on the sports world can disturb a carefree holiday. And those who talk of prevention can be seen as unwelcome a guest.

__________

This post reproduces the entire article that was published in the February 2010 Tell Heart, newsletter of the Friends of the Heart of Conegliano and Vittorio Veneto.