Playing sports carries certain risks to the player. One of the most dangerous risks is sudden cardiovascular death during the course of engaging in a sports activity. The majority of these athletes that die are found to have previously unsuspected heart disease (Corrado, et al, 1593).
This article addresses this issue and aims “to analyze trends in incidence rates and cardiovascular causes of sudden death in young competitive athletes in relation to preparticipation screening” (Corrado, et al, 1593).
The researchers studied competitive athletes aged 12 to 35 in the Veneto region of Italy from 1979 until 2004.
They analyzed the prevalence of sudden cardiovascular death among athletes who had participated in a prescreening program developed in 1982. They also analyzed those athletes who were not screened and used this group as their control group. It was discovered that during this time period, 55 prescreened athletes died because of sudden cardiovascular problems. Further, 91% of these 55 athletes died during a sports activity or immediately afterward. Finally, fifty of the athletes who died were male while only 5 were female (Corrado, et al, 1595 – 1596).
As a result of prescreening it was determined which athletes were at risk for sudden cardiovascular death and there needed to be disqualified from sports activities. From 1979 until 2004, 385,600 athletes were studies. Of these, 42,386 participated in prescreening. Of this group, 3914 were referred for further testing and 879 were ultimately disqualified from participating in sports related activities (Corrado, et al, 1598).
The Essay on Importance of sports
The importance of sports in the life of a young student is invaluable and goes much further than the basic answer that “it keeps kids off the streets.” It does in fact keep kids off the streets, but it also instills lessons that are essential in the life of a student athlete. Sports play a pivotal role in the makeup of a young athlete, especially in the middle school to high school ...
As a result, the most important finding of this study was the 89% decrease in sudden cardiovascular death among young competitive athletes due to preparticipation in the screening program (Corrado, et al, 1598).
