Sudden Cardiac Death Among Young Athletes in Italy

SCD incidence rates declined dramatically after implementation of a preparticipation cardiovascular screening program that included routine ECG use.

Since 1982, competitive athletes in Italy age 12 to 35 have been required to undergo preparticipation cardiovascular screening involving family and personal history, physical exam, and 12-lead ECG. Now, researchers have studied the incidence of sudden cardiac death (SCD) among a population of competitive athletes from the Veneto region.

From 1979 to 2004, 55 SCDs occurred in this population, 50 of them during or immediately after sports activity. The SCD incidence rate per 100,000 person-years decreased steadily and dramatically from 4.19 during the prescreening period (1979–1981) to 0.43 during the latest period studied (2001–2004), with the greatest decline in cardiomyopathy-related SCD. The SCD incidence rate among unscreened nonathletes …

Reviewing Author

Mark D. Carlson, MD