Sudden Death of Athletes Is Rare
It happened again, this time last month: A 16-year-old high-school wrestler collapsed and died after winning a match in which he looked strong.
For parents, news stories of sudden death in young players are frightening and understandably anxiety-producing. Parents wonder if their children are at risk.
A report just published in the American Journal of Diseases of Children contains both reassuring news and important advice.
The incidence of sudden unexpected death among young athletes is rare, say the authors, who say that parental concern, while understandable, is “out of proportion to the scope of the problem.”
One in 200,000 young athletes dies suddenly each year, says Dr. William B. Strong, chief of pediatric cardiology at the Medical College of Georgia, Augusta, and a co-author of the report.
For children age 8 and under, the risk is even more remote, Strong adds. “The highest risk is for adolescent and older athletes,” he says.
When young athletes do die unexpectedly, the authors found, it is often because of congenital conditions, such as an enlarged heart, abnormal coronary arteries or abnormal heart rhythms. (The autopsy report on the young wrestler revealed a congenital cardiac problem.) In many cases, these conditions can be detected during a thorough physical exam.
The best advice for parents?
Be sure the child undergoes a thorough screening before participating in athletics. “The doctor examining your child should know the purpose of the exam,” says Dr. David Ciraulo, a cardiologist at Daniel Freeman Memorial and Marina Hospitals and a UCLA assistant clinical professor of medicine.
General practice doctors and pediatricians are well-equipped to handle such an exam, Strong says. Parents should be sure to mention any family history of heart conditions to the examining physician.
Once a young athlete is screened, parents should keep an eye out for possible symptoms.
“Children with any worrisome symptoms of exertion--dizziness, shortness of breath, chest discomfort, palpitations, fainting--should be examined,” says Ciraulo. Fainting is a major red flag, doctors agree. Any fainting spell, no matter how brief, should prompt an immediate referral to a cardiologist.
Asking children how they feel during and after exercise is a good idea, Ciraulo says. Sometimes children don’t mention symptoms to parents because they don’t consider them out of the ordinary.
Ciraulo tells of one 13-year-old girl who was taken to an emergency room with a rapid heartbeat after exercising. She thought the accelerated heart rate was normal. “But,” cautions Ciraulo, “don’t make the kids paranoid.”
