Athletes and the cardiovascular system Afectarea cardiovasculară la sportivi

The cardiac changes of athletes in response to systematic conditioning are somewhat variable, with some degree of cardiac remodeling in approximately one-half of trained athletes. A variety of cardiovascular diseases represent the most common causes of sudden death in young athletes. The vast majority of these deaths in athletes younger than 35 years of age are due to several congenital or acquired cardiac malformations. Hypertrophic cardiomyopathy is the single most common cause of athlete deaths (responsible for approximately one third of the cases), followed by congenital coronary artery anomalies. The vast majority of deaths in middle-aged athletes are due to unsuspected atherosclerotic coronary artery disease. Recently, recommendations of the European Society of Cardiology (ESC) and the International Olympic Committee (IOC) have triggered a new debate regarding the most appropriate strategy for screening trained athletes and other sports participants.