Sudden Cardiac Death in Adolescent Athletes

Objectives At the end of this activity, the participant should be able to: 1. Discuss the otherwise healthy adolescent athlete who dies suddenly 2. Describe the risk to young athletes of sudden cardiac death 3. Review the role of molecular diagnosis in sudden cardiac death Introduction Adolescent death is distressing to the family and community no matter the cause, and the sudden death of an adolescent participating in athletics is shocking. Pathologists have found that most sudden unexplained deaths (SUD) of the adolescent are associated with a hereditary condition, of which cardiovascular diseases are the most frequent. Sudden cardiac death (SCD) is the most common cause of death in the adolescent athlete and is an important unsolved challenge in the practice of pediatrics. General Health The 2010 U.S. Census data tells there are 42,717,537 total children in the US from 10 – 19 years old, making them 14% of the population. In a national survey >80% of adolescents say they are in excellent or very good health and only about 5% of adolescents missed more than 11 days of school due to illness or injury in the previous 12 months. What are the causes of death in otherwise healthy adolescents dying suddenly while engaged in athletics? Of the top 10 causes of death for adolescents, most are either traumatic or have an identifiable prodromal symptomology before the fatal event. Seizures, asthma, pulmonary embolism and intercranial bleeds can be mechanisms of death in athletic adolescents, but nearly two-thirds of sudden deaths in adolescents are attributable to sudden cardiac death. Pediatric review