8 replies to this topic

[Thelooneytuner]

Following the collapse of Muamba and the death of the Italian footballer a Norwegian swimmer has been the latest fatality from a cardiac arrest in sport.
It just goes to show how fit you are your never safe from these complications.
Is it me or are these seeming to be a more regular occurrence or is it that since the shocking scenes in a live televised game that they are having a more publicised viewpoint?

[maggies_minder]

they say you need to be active to stay healthy.

but you can obviously push way to much, almost putting too much strain on your various systems.

[Thelooneytuner]

I train 3 times a week weights wise and do a very steady cardio after. I found out I had health problems after collapsing and having a mini stroke after an intense session on the treadmill.
Luckily for me there are minimal permanent damages.

What I can't understand is mine was when I had just started but these guys have been doing it years and have health checks. For 3 top athletes to have the same attacks in such a little timeframe seems unusual to me?

[coopdog]

its like if you push your engine too much something is gonna go,
cant see how the human body is any different,

[Thelooneytuner]

Agree with you on that to be honest

[AVV IT]

I don't know the specific clinical details of any of the cases being referred to here, but I do know that the underlying medical conditions often attributed to the sudden & unexpected death of young and seemingly fit & healthy people (the so called "sudden cardiac death", "sudden arrhythmic death" and "sudden adult death" syndromes) are often genetic/hereditary in nature, can be very difficult to detect and very often are only ever detected in post mortem (i.e. in tests performed after death), meaning that they wouldn't necessarily appear in even the most in depth health screening.

I don't think that it's necessarily anything to do with excessive physical activity or training in athletes though. If you have an undetected genetic condition that predisposes your heart to suddenly stopping, then it stands to reason that it's more likely to happen when your heart is under increased strain, whether you are an average young person running upstairs, or an athlete half way through a marathon.

The last I heard, these syndromes were thought to affect something like 1 in 100,000 young people and that the numbers of cases were believed to be on the increase. So it may well be that these cases are increasing in society in general, and it's just that you only get to hear about the high profile cases involving athletes.

[AVV IT]

its like if you push your engine too much something is gonna go,
cant see how the human body is any different,

It's different because the harder you work the human body the stronger it get's, the more efficient it becomes and the more it is able to endure, that is essentially what fitness and athletic ability is. Where as the components of an engine do not grow, strengthen, or heal and repair themselves, they just deteriorate and wear out over time, due to the load placed upon them, even those made by Honda!!

Edited by AVV IT, 01 May 2012 - 10:52 PM.

[Thelooneytuner]

Great couple of posts there and some points I didn't even consider. My health problems are hereditary however mine are the most serious of our families generations, lucky me... With mine the diagnosis was only picked up through scans of damaged brain tissue (scar tissue). I just thought with the emphasis on the heart in athletes it could have been picked up on. Although now from your post it doesn't seem the case.

[lrostoke]

There was something on TV the other day that reckoned extreme exercise can damage the heart...You get your heart beating more than a certain amount it is like over revving an engine and will cause damage.