Heart Disorder: The Disorder All Athletes Should Know About !

 

It's a case of having too much heart. That's the simple explanation for one of medicine's more complex problems--sudden death among athletes.

 

The heart disorder, called hypertrophic cardiomyopathy, is an abnormal thickening of the muscles in the walls of the heart. It causes half of the sudden death cases involving athletes under age 35.

 

"The heart is primarily made of muscle and can contract an average of 60 to 100 times a minute".

 

"Under normal conditions, the heart conforms to a certain size and thickness. In hypertrophic cardiomyopathy, the heart muscle becomes overgrown and the walls of the heart are abnormally thick." A thickening of the heart's walls can lead to an abnormal heart rhythm that can cause sudden and unexpected death in athletes, he notes.

 

The disease is difficult to detect. In fact, an athlete can train for years before symptoms appear.

 

"In a majority of cases, hypertrophic cardiomyopathy is inherited and develops over time, typically in the late teenage years," Kerber says. Symptoms include black-out spells, unexplained dizziness, and chest pains that occur briefly during competition or training, but then disappear with rest.

 

If a physician suspects hypertrophic cardiomyopathy, an echocardiogram confirms the diagnosis. By using ultrasound, this test provides a two-dimensional image of the heart.

 

Although no cure for the disease exists, in some cases pacemakers can improve the condition.

 

People with hypertrophic cardiomyopathy can lead normal lives. Symptoms can be regulated with medications. An enlarged heart doesn't always mean a person has hypertrophic cardiomyopathy. In serious competitive athletes, particularly those in endurance sports such as distance running, cycling, and swimming, the heart will enlarge on its own."

 

Commonly referred to as "athlete's heart" this increase in size is nature's way of adapting the heart to endurance exercises. "Unlike hypertrophic cardiomyopathy, this is a normal adaptation, not a disease,".

 

If you have questions about hypertrophic cardiomyopathy, talk with your physician.

 

 

 

"Thanks for supporting the fight against heart disease"

 

BRUGADA SYNDROME

What is Brugada syndrome?

This is an inherited arrhythmia that causes the bottom chambers of the heart to beat so fast that they can prevent the blood from circulating efficiently in the body.When this situation occurs, the individual will faint and may die in a few minutes if the heart is not reset.

 

 

While this is a disease that usually affects people in their 30's, it has actually been described at all ages. So it is important to screen everybody in a family. Not everybody who has the disease will have arrhythmias. However, we can not know yet who will be OK and who will have problems. If you have had fainting spells related to Brugada syndrome, our experience indicates that you are at very high risk of having them again.

How common is Brugada syndrome?

It is very difficult to know because it was only described 10 years ago. It is found all over the world and in some countries in Asia is the most common cause of death in young people after car accidents.

Is there any medication for Brugada syndrome?

Not yet. Brugada syndrome was discovered 10 years ago, and there is no medication to prevent the black outs yet.

Is there anything that resets the heart when it beats too fast?

Yes, there is a special pacemaker, called defibrillator, that when used in patients that have Brugada syndrome and black outs, jump-starts the heart every time it malfunctions. All the patients who have a defibrillator are doing well.

If one of my parents or siblings has Brugada syndrome what do I need to do?

Brugada syndrome may be inherited, that means passed from parents to children. So it is important that you follow some important steps:

•  Contact your physician who will probably perform a physical exam and an electrocardiogram. Brugada syndrome can be seen in few occasions right away in the electrocardiogram, but sometimes, to see it, it requires the infusion of a medication.

•  If the electrocardiogram shows Brugada syndrome or if you had some signs that your heart malfunctions, like loss of consciousness, fainting, passing out, your physician may advise you to undergo an EP test. This is a test that checks your heart's electrical activity and whether there is any malfunction.

•  Because Brugada syndrome is inherited, the physician may request that you give a blood sample to perform genetic analysis in you and your family.

Talking to your physician is the first thing to do and he will advise you

 

BRUGADA Foundation