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Paul D. Thompson, MD; Benjamin D. Levine, MD

JAMA. 2006;296:1648-1650.

	Since this article does not have an abstract, we have provided the first 150 words of the full text and any section headings.

The cardiovascular benefits of regular physical activity have been well documented,¹ but vigorous exercise can also transiently increase the risk of sudden cardiac death.^2-4 Exercise-related sudden death in adults is primarily due to coronary artery disease,^{2, 5} whereas such events in younger individuals are due to a variety of congenital and genetic cardiovascular disorders, including inherited cardiomyopathies and arrhythmias, anomalies of the coronary arteries or to acquired cardiomyopathy.^6-8

By virtue of their regular participation in vigorous physical activity, athletes are potentially vulnerable to exercise-related sudden death. Such deaths among athletes are unexpected, dramatic, and often elicit community calls for preventive measures. Cardiac evaluation of athletes before participation is intuitively attractive to identify athletes at risk. Both the American Heart Association⁹ and the Sports Cardiology Study Group of the European Society of Cardiology¹⁰ recommend screening high school and college athletes before athletic participation. Both . . . [Full Text of this Article]

Author Affiliations: Division of Cardiology, Hartford Hospital and University of Connecticut, Hartford (Dr Thompson); Institute for Exercise and Environmental Medicine, Presbyterian Hospital, and University of Texas Southwestern Medical Center, Dallas (Dr Levine).

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