SPC365

Sudden Cardiac Death in Athletes: a 20-year analysis in Portugal

Session: Sessão de Posters 48 - Exercício, Estilos de Vida e Obesidade
Speaker: Carolina Miguel Gonçalves

Congress: CPC 2024
Topic: J. Preventive Cardiology
Theme: 28. Risk Factors and Prevention
Subtheme: 28.14 Risk Factors and Prevention - Other
Session Type: Cartazes
FP Number: ---
Authors: Carolina Miguel Gonçalves; Adriana Vazão; André Martins; Mariana Carvalho; Margarida Cabral; Fátima Saraiva; João Morais; Hélder Dores

<p style="text-align:start"><span style="font-size:medium"><span style="font-family:Calibri,sans-serif"><span style="color:#000000"><strong><span style="font-size:11pt">Background</span></strong></span></span></span></p>

<p style="text-align:justify"><span style="font-size:medium"><span style="font-family:Calibri,sans-serif"><span style="color:#000000"><span style="font-size:11pt">Sudden cardiac death (SCD) is a tragic and highly visible event that may occur in apparently healthy athletes. Although some studies reporting a low frequency and cardiovascular diseases as the most common causes, the evidence about SCD in athletes remains scarce and controversial. The aim of this study was to analyze the SCD cases among competitive athletes in Portugal during a 20-year period.</span></span></span></span></p>

<p style="text-align:justify"><span style="font-size:medium"><span style="font-family:Calibri,sans-serif"><span style="color:#000000"><strong><span style="font-size:11pt">Methods</span></strong></span></span></span></p>

<p style="text-align:justify"><span style="font-size:medium"><span style="font-family:Calibri,sans-serif"><span style="color:#000000"><span style="font-size:11pt">An advanced Google search using a combination of keywords was performed. To further strengthen the results, a systematic search on websites of national newspapers (sports and general) and television stations was conducted, while the Portuguese sports federations (54 in total) and the Portuguese Institute of Sports and Youth were contacted by email and/or phone. All sports-related SCD cases in competitive athletes, occurring between 2003 and 2023 in Portugal, were included. For each case, all the available information on the demographics and circumstances of the event, was collected and analyzed. The total number of athletes used to calculate the incidence of SCD was based on official national records of competitive athletes by year, during the period of the study (https://www.pordata.pt/).</span></span></span></span></p>

<p style="text-align:justify"><span style="font-size:medium"><span style="font-family:Calibri,sans-serif"><span style="color:#000000"><strong><span style="font-size:11pt">Results </span></strong></span></span></span></p>

<p style="text-align:justify"><span style="font-size:medium"><span style="font-family:Calibri,sans-serif"><span style="color:#000000"><span style="font-size:11pt">During the study period, 42 SCD cases in athletes were identified, with median age of 27 </span><span style="font-size:11pt"><span style="font-family:Symbol">[</span></span><span style="font-size:11pt">18;42] years, ranging from 12 to 70 years, and 93% were male (only 3 cases in women). Most events occurred in outdoor sports (N=28; 67%), especially in football (N=13; 31%), athletics (N=4; 10%) and trail running (N=4; 10%). Among indoor sports, the cases were mainly reported in handball (N=3; 7%), futsal (N=3; 7%) and basketball (N=2; 5%). Most of the events (N=27; 64%) occurred during competition or training sessions. The higher number of cases were reported in 2022 and 2021 (10 and 8, respectively), while in several years no occurrences were found. The average yearly incidence of SCD was 0.38 cases per 100 000 athletes per year.</span></span></span></span></p>

<p style="text-align:justify"><span style="font-size:medium"><span style="font-family:Calibri,sans-serif"><span style="color:#000000"><strong><span style="font-size:11pt">Conclusions</span></strong></span></span></span></p>

<p style="text-align:justify"><span style="font-size:medium"><span style="font-family:Calibri,sans-serif"><span style="color:#000000"><span style="font-size:11pt">The incidence of SCD in competitive athletes in Portugal is very low, being reported 42 cases between 2003 and 2023, especially in males and outdoor sports. Although the use of a previously tested searching methodology, this incidence is probably underestimated. A prospective national registry of SCD in athletes, with standardization of all the relevant data about its etiology and circumstances, is clearly needed. Understanding these events may help to identify high-risk groups and develop appropriate preventive strategies.</span></span></span></span></p>