Why are kids dying so suddenly while participating in sports?

Question

It's often in news that we hear of kids just collapsing while playing sports, why? What's with kids' health that's causing them to die?

Answer 1

often it is due to a previously undiagnosed genetic defect or anomaly
or tremendous strain on the heart muscle
or a history of previous minor injuries that have caused scar tissue to form thus weakening the heart or a clot from a previous injury dislodges in a blood vessels and causes a pulmonary embolism
severe dehydration can cause it
a blow to the chest can cause it(solar plexus)
being overweight or out of shape also can cause it

Answer 2

I don't think there are more,, just the media is all over and fast with their mobile satellite trucks.
The kids are geneticly inferrior because the ninny parents used all kinds of drugs.

Answer 3

Alot of people get over heated and pass out and sometimes die.

Answer 4

probably heart disease. many people have heart disease that may not be overweight

Answer 5

In 490 BC, Phidippides, a young Greek messenger, ran 26.2 miles from Marathon to Athens delivering the news of the Greek victory over the Persians, and then he collapsed and died. This is probably the first recorded incident of sudden death of an athlete. http://www.hughston.com/hha/a_16_4_4.htm

"Congenital cardiovascular disease is the leading cause of nontraumatic sudden athletic death, with hypertrophic cardiomyopathy being the most common cause. Screening athletes for disorders capable of provoking sudden death is a challenge because of the low prevalence of disease, and the cost and limitations of available screening tests. Sudden cardiac death has usually been defined as one that is unexpected and nontraumatic and that occurs instantaneously or within a few minutes of an abrupt change in the person's previous clinical state. hypertrophic cardiomyopathy led the list at 24 percent, with coronary anomalies next at 18 percent and myocarditis at 12 percent. Hypertrophic cardiomyopathy is an autosomal-dominant congenital disorder characterized by left ventricular outflow obstruction with asymmetric septal hypertrophy and marked disarray of ventricular muscle fibers. Hypertrophic cardiomyopathy is often clinically silent, but a personal or family history of unexplained syncope, especially effort syncope or sudden-death events, is an important clinical clue. Chest radiography may show cardiomegaly, and electrocardiography may show left ventricular hypertrophy or other changes, but results of these tests may also be normal. The diagnosis is best confirmed with two-dimensional and M-mode echocardiography. Congenital coronary anomalies are multiple, the most common being misplaced aortic ostium, in which the left main and right coronary artery arise from the right sinus of Valsalva. These conditions are difficult to identify unless complaints of early fatigue, angina or exercise-induced syncope lead to a directed evaluation. Acute myocarditis is a rare but potentially devastating condition that is most commonly caused by viruses. Coxsackie B virus has been implicated in 50 percent of cases.15 Early symptoms, if present, may include exercise intolerance and congestive heart failure symptoms with dyspnea, cough and orthopnea. Subtle clinical signs include tachycardia in the absence of fever, pulsus alternans and other clinical signs of heart failure (e.g., S3 gallop, soft apical murmur, distended neck veins, peripheral edema). Most patients with myocarditis present with sudden death secondary to a ventricular arrhythmia and had few, if any, prodromal signs or symptoms. In addition, inflammatory coronary artery aneurysms associated with Kawasaki's disease have also been reported as a cause of sudden death. Marfan's syndrome, with its lethal association with ruptured aortic aneurysms, deserves particular note because of helpful clinical clues17 that make it a screenable condition. In addition, other preventable conditions should be noted, such as cocaine use (associated with coronary artery spasm) and anabolic steroid use (potential association with hypertrophic cardiomyopathy).18,19 Other such conditions include conduction abnormalities, aortic stenosis, idiopathic concentric left ventricular hypertrophy and, possibly, mitral valve prolapse.
One of the problems with screening athletes is that "abnormalities" detected during examinations may merely be normal variants. The changes that occur in the heart in response to athletic training are known as "the athletic heart syndrome." In a recently published detailed study,28 the demographics of sudden death in young competitive athletes was profiled. A review of the records of victims of sudden death revealed that a standard history and physical examination had been completed in 115 of the athletes (158 cases were reviewed). In only four (3 percent) of these athletes was there any suspicion of a cardiovascular problem. In only one athlete was the correct diagnosis, Marfan's syndrome, made--and that athlete did not withdraw from athletic participation. In 15 of the 158 athletes, symptoms provoked individualized work-ups. These evaluations led to seven correct diagnoses and two disqualifications from competitive athletics. In reviewing cases retrospectively, 31 percent of the athletes with anomalous coronary arteries had symptoms (syncope or dizziness) and just 21 percent of the athletes with hypertrophic cardiomyopathy had symptoms. These medical evaluations failed to identify 47 of 48 cases of hypertrophic cardiomyopathy. "
FRANCIS G. O'CONNOR, LTC, MC, USA,
Uniformed Services University of the Health Sciences,
Bethesda, Maryland
JOHN P. KUGLER, COL, MC, USA,
DeWitt Army Community Hospital,
Fort Belvoir, Virginia
RALPH G. ORISCELLO, M.D.,
Elizabeth General Medical Center,
Elizabeth, New Jersey

"Some well-known athletes who have been victims of sudden death include marathon runner Jim Fixx (1984), Olympic volleyball star Flo Hyman (1986), NBA basketball star Hank Gathers (1990), Olympic figure skater Sergei Grinkov (1995), all pro NFL player Korey Stringer with the Minnesota Vikings (2001), and Darryl Kile, all-star pitcher for the St. Louis Cardinals (2002). In my hometown, Jed Bedford, captain of the Columbus State University basketball team and NCAA Division II leader in 2002 for 3-point shots, collapsed during practice and died one hour later on December 14, 2003."

In 490 BC, Phidippides, a young Greek messenger, ran 26.2 miles from Marathon to Athens delivering the news of the Greek victory over the Persians, and then he collapsed and died. This is probably the first recorded incident of sudden death of an athlete.

The possibility that young, well-trained athletes at the high school, college, or professional level could die suddenly seems incomprehensible. It is a dramatic and tragic event that devastates families and the community. Sports, per se, are not a cause of enhanced mortality, but they can trigger sudden death in athletes with heart or blood vessel abnormalities by predisposing them to life-threatening heart irregularities.

Sudden death most commonly occurs in football or basketball, accounting for two-thirds of sudden death of athletes in the US. In the rest of the world, soccer is the sport most commonly associated with sudden death. Sudden death occurs in 1 to 2 in 200,000 athletes annually and predominately strikes male athletes.

Some well-known athletes who have been victims of sudden death include marathon runner Jim Fixx (1984), Olympic volleyball star Flo Hyman (1986), NBA basketball star Hank Gathers (1990), Olympic figure skater Sergei Grinkov (1995), all pro NFL player Korey Stringer with the Minnesota Vikings (2001), and Darryl Kile, all-star pitcher for the St. Louis Cardinals (2002). In my hometown, Jed Bedford, captain of the Columbus State University basketball team and NCAA Division II leader in 2002 for 3-point shots, collapsed during practice and died one hour later on December 14, 2003.


Cardiac causes
The most common causes of sudden death are congenital abnormalities of the heart and blood vessels, or those that are present at birth. These abnormalities usually produce no symptoms and are disproportionately prevalent in African-American athletes. The most common cause of sudden death is hypertrophic cardiomyopathy (Fig. 1), an excessive thickening of the heart muscle that can lead to an irregular heart rhythm called ventricular fibrillation. During ventricular fibrillation, numerous chaotic electrical discharges to the chambers of the heart (400+ per minute) result in no blood being pumped.
The second most common cause of sudden death in athletes is abnormal coronary arteries (the blood vessels that supply oxygen to the heart muscle). Often, coronary arteries originate from an abnormal location or have an acute twisting angle that slows the blood flow. Other cardiac abnormalities that can cause sudden death are heart valve abnormalities, electrical conduction abnormalities of the heart, and rupture of the aorta (the large blood vessel that carries the blood from the heart to the body).

Another cause of sudden death among athletes is Marfan syndrome (Fig. 2). Marfan syndrome affects approximately 1 in 20,000 of the general population. People who have this medical condition are usually tall, slender, and loose-jointed. It is a hereditary disorder of the connective tissue, which is the basic substance that holds blood vessels, heart valves, and other structures together. Olympic volleyball star Flo Hyman had Marfan syndrome. On June 8, 2004, Florida State basketball player Ronalda Pierce died from an aorta rupture that was a result of this syndrome.

Most sudden death in athletes over the age of 30 is due to a heart attack, or blockage of the coronary arteries. The otherwise normal arteries are occluded with lipid plaque. Athletes who are older than 30 are at increased risk for heart attack if they smoke, have high blood pressure, diabetes, elevated abnormal lipids, or a strong family history of heart disease. Darryl Kile, pitcher for the St. Louis Cardinals, died suddenly at age 33. (His father died of a heart attack at age 44).

Noncardiac causes
A blow to the chest in the area of the heart, called commotio cordis, or cardiac concussion is the most common cause of sudden death in athletes who have no heart abnormality. This condition often occurs in children or adolescents with a nonpenetrating-and usually innocent appearing-blow to the middle of the chest, such as when a baseball, hockey puck, lacrosse ball, softball, or karate blow strikes the athlete's chest.

Here are the two web sites that had the best information, with the second being the most interesting. I had a cousin who died playing high school basketball due to being hit in the chest with the ball durring the "down beat of his heart."

These cases are very rare, but they do happen we as parents need to fight for better legislation and regulation of physicals for sports participation. I am in no way saying to keep your child from sports, that would be devistating for them, just remember to start each practice with a prayer.