Cardiac problems fatal for athletes

Cardiac problems, like an abnormal heartbeat, are exacerbated by rigorous exercise in a way that can be fatal in athletes, and regular testing for the problem could save lives, doctors at a heart conference said Sunday.\nItaly is the only country that mandates heart screening of all its professional athletes, Dr. Domenico Corrado of the University of Padua said at the European Society for Cardiology meeting in Vienna.\nSince 1981, Italian authorities have run heart checks on all competing athletes. \nThe incidence of sudden, fatal heart attacks has dropped from four cases per 100,000 to 0.4 cases per 100,000.\nWithout testing, athletes genetically predisposed to having an irregular heartbeat might not be aware of their condition until it’s too late, doctors said. \nAdrenaline produced during exercise may overstimulate the heart, causing it to essentially short-circuit.\nCorrado said he had no ties to companies involved in screening athletes. \nThe research was funded by the Italian government.\nLast week, Antonio Puerta became the latest high-profile soccer player to die \nwhile competing.\nAfter the 22-year-old Sevilla midfielder lost consciousness and fell, doctors treated him \non the field and he walked off. \nBut then he had a heart attack in the locker room and another in the emergency room of a Seville hospital.\nHe died three days later.\nBecause they have been exercising vigorously, many athletes who collapse during competition do not have enough oxygen in their bodies to allow the heart to start pumping again, even if a defibrillator is used to try to restart their heart.\n“Athletes may have a silent but important heart disease that’s not ... manifest,” said Dr. Douglas Zipes, a cardiologist at IU School of Medicine.