Sudden death in young athletes

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Submitted by Dr T on April 13, 2011 – 8:25am

Question: 
My grandson has a bicuspid heart valve.he is very active..wants to be on the football team. the coach is really encouraging him to join.iam very worried that something will happen . the whole summer is mainly practice. not much of a break. in fifth grade the coach almost caused him to pass out due to running.please let me know if its safe for him to play football.

Apart from an injury, one of the risks for young athletes is sudden cardiac death due to a previously unknown cardiac defect. Sudden cardiac death occurs in approximately 25 high school and college students/year in the United States (thus a very rare event). Suspected patients should be screened if the following is present:
• Exertional Chest Pain
• Syncope and Pre-syncope (during Exercise)
• Past History of murmur
• Family History of premature death (sudden)
ECG, ECHO Exercise Test are indicated in specific situations, most often in consultation with a pediatric cardiologist.
Since your grandson has already been diagnosed with an abnormal aortic valve (that may be functioning perfectly well), I recommend that he be screened by a cardiologist beforehand.
You can read more here:
https://www.cardiachealth.org/heart-information/valve-disease/bicuspid-
https://www.cardiachealth.org/heart-information/heart-arrhythmia/sudden
https://www.cardiachealth.org/heart-information/heart-arrhythmia/sudden
Hope this helps,
Dr T
https://www.cardiachealth.org/

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