Pediatric Cardiologist Says Sudden Death in Young Athletes is a Quiet Killer
Sudden death for football fans
is only a tiebreaker. But for the fam
ilies who have lost young athletes to
sudden death from heart complica
tions, it is a tragedy.
Hypertrophic cardiomyopathy,
long Q-T syndrome and Wolff
Parkinson-White syndrome are just
some of the "quiet' killers of a seg
ment of today's teen-age athletes*
says a Baylor College of Medicin^
pediatric cardiologist.
"What is devastating is that
most of these young people appear
perfectly normal* but then, during
the stress of athletics, they die from
heart failure." said Dr. Jeffrey Tow
bin. an assistant professor of pedi
atrics and molecular genetics at
Baylor. "Many were aware the> had
heart conditions, but how many
were ne\er evaluated and moni
tored' If we knew they were at nsk,
we could recommend therapies and
possibly prevent them form partici
pating in sports."
"While the number of sudden
deaths among both athletes and non
athletes under age 22Ts~Tow ? less
than one percent ? caustics show
that a city of one million will lose
15 to 20 young people in a year. For
a school losing a star quarterback or
a popular basketball player, the
emotional toll can be consiaeraole.
"These are kids in their prime."
Towbin said. 'Their numbers may
not be great, but their deaths are
very noticeable."
Chief among the causes of sud
den death is hypertrophic cardiomy
opathy. a genetically transmitted
heart condition causing defects in
the left ventricle, the main pumping
station for the body's blood supply.
Death occurs when the ventricle
Thickens. impeding blood flow or
from heart rhythm disturbances
called arrhythmia.
Recent studies by the National
Heart. Lung and Blood Institute
showed that in one study group oP
29 athletes who died between the
ages ofl3-30. 76 percent had cardio
vascular disorders, mainly hyper
trophic cardiomyopathy.
Long Q-T syndrome is the most
sinister of silent heart conditions,
because in children there are rarely
symptoms prior to sudden death.
The disorder results -from irregulari
ties in the heart's natural rhythm
leading to seizures, sudden fainting
and death.
^-The Q-T" refers to measure
ments of heart rhythmJroni_electtQ
cardiogram readings. People with
long Q-T measurements are at high
risk for cardiac problems.
Three-on-Three Tourney Now Registering Players
Team registration for the 5th
Annual Hot Hoops Three-on -three
basketball tournament is now being
held through Aug. 3 1 .
The event will be held Sept. 1 1
, 12 on the streets of downtown
Raleigh. The tournament, which is a
?? ? ? *
benefit for North Carolina Special
Olympics, is open to anyone at least
10 years old. Last year, the tourna
ment netted over $32,000 for
NCSO.
Hot Hoops is the only major
outdoor, three-on-three basketball
tournament in Raleigh played in a
playground-style atmosphere. The
1992 tournament attracted 1.6000
players and over 15,000 spectators. -
Winners of the top men's and
women's divisions will advance to
the Hoop-It-Up National Three-On
Three Tournament regional playoff.
To register, each team must |
submit a registration form and a |
SI 00 non-refundable entry fee by <
Aug. 31.
Registration forms may be |
found in the Raleigh News & J
Observer, or for more information ,
call 1-800-843-NCSQ.
Although they may show no syndrome, also results from abnor
pnui s yinptui us, long Q?T patients ? mal heart rhythms oaused whan the
can be diagnosed early on," Towbin left ventricle is stimulated prema
said. turely by electrical waves gone
Another cause of sudden death awry.
in athletes, Wolff-Parkinson-White
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