Citation

Parsons S. Pathology 2014; 46(Suppl 1): S21-S22.

Affiliation

Victorian Institute of Forensic Medicine and Department of Forensic Medicine Monash University, Melbourne, Vic, Australia.

Copyright

(Copyright © 2014, Elsevier Publishing)

DOI

10.1097/01.PAT.0000443457.42141.ec

PMID

24557229

Abstract

Sudden and unexpected deaths during sport are rare, but often attract wide media coverage due to the deceased being young and healthy. They often have wide reaching effect not only on the families but also often on the sporting group where the death occurs. International studies have shown that sporting participants are three times more likely than the general population to suffer from undiagnosed cardiac conditions predisposing them to sudden death during sport. The actual rate of sudden death in sports is uncertain as the studies carried out predominantly in the USA and Europe are retrospective and the exact circumstances are not always known. Data also show that young indigenous people are more likely to die of coronary artery disease at an early age than non-indigenous people. It has been suggested in the literature that young indigenous people in sporting activities are at an increased risk of dying due to ischaemic heart disease rather than other cardiac anomalies. This presentation will present preliminary results of a study that aims to determine whether the cause of death in sporting activity in the young in Australia is similar to international data.

Language: en