What does the cardio logical check-up prevent before you start working out
An important issue that concerns those who play sports as well as the parents of children who start physical activities is sudden cardiac death, with experts underlining the crucial role of prevention.
What does the cardio logical check-up prevent before you start working out
Statistical data have shown that in teenagers and young adults aged 12-35 who exercise, the risk of sudden cardiac death is up to 3 times higher than in people of the same age who do not exercise. Death usually occurs during exercise or soon after cessation of exercise, and the proposed mechanism is that the increase in pressure and activation of the sympathetic nervous system with subsequent parasympathetic stimulation, cause electrical instability and induce ventricular arrhythmia. According to assistant professor of Cardiology Ilias Tsougos and electrologist Dimitris Katsaros, this observation led to the need to institute pre-sport testing protocols in order to identify those young people who are at a higher risk of suffering sudden cardiac death.
Sudden cardiac death is the most common cause of death in young athletes, with the main cause being hypertrophic cardiomyopathy, followed by congenital anomalies of the coronary vessels, non-specific type of left ventricular hypertrophy, pre-arousal syndromes (Wolff-Parkinson-White syndrome) and long QT syndrome, arrhythmogenic cardiomyopathy and dilated cardiomyopathy. Rarer causes are diseases of the aorta, commotion cordis, congenital heart diseases, catecholaminergic polymorphic tachycardia and other channel diseases that lead to electrical instability in the heart and hypertensive disease. Therefore, the pre-sport test should focus on the search for symptoms and signs, which will lead to early diagnosis and help in prevention.
The importance of the cardiac check-up
There is international agreement that personal and family history taking as well as clinical examination are necessary components of pre-sport testing, the two scientists report. Regarding the electrocardiogram (ECG), it is recommended that it be performed based on the European guidelines. Depending on the findings, an ultrasound of the heart, a stress test, 24-hour electrocardiographic monitoring, and a CT or MRI of the heart may need to be performed.
The individual history is extremely important, since in about 50% of cases, sudden cardiac death occurs with preexisting specific cardiac or nonspecific symptoms, such as palpitations, chest pain, syncope or presyncope, and dyspnea on exertion.
Regarding the ECG, the recommendation is to have it interpreted by a specialist since it differs in children and athletes and its interpretation by a non-specialist can lead to false positive or false negative diagnoses with a corresponding psychological burden on the athlete and his environment or false complacency , respectively. Ultrasound and other more specific diagnostic tests should be performed on pathological findings and high clinical suspicion and always taking into account the probability of a positive finding in the specific population (pre-test probability), since, for example, it is known that the electrocardiographic changes of hypertrophic cardiomyopathy precede structural changes detectable by cardiac ultrasound.
The purpose of the pre-sport test is not to exclude young people from sports, but to prevent the loss of life, the two scientists emphasize. Young people diagnosed with a cardiac problem can usually exercise under conditions, following the specialist's instructions for participating in a specific type and intensity of exercise.
0 Comments