syncope athletes

Athletes are generally healthy but might have certain cardiac disorders which might, during athletic participation or training, result in cardiac symptoms including syncope. Vasovagal syncope is probably the most common cause of syncope in athletes, but syncope in the context of these cardiac disorders might be a warning of sudden death.

We report a rare case of high-volume training-related myopericarditis. A male, 18 years old, elite road bicycle racing cyclist with high-volume training of 1,000 km per week for >7 years, presented with progressively worsening exertional breathlessness, reduced effort tolerance, and one episode of cardiac syncope. The symptoms were present prior to the coronavirus disease 2019 pandemic but made worse with the sudden increase in the volume of training after lockdown periods in preparation for competition...

BACKGROUND: Syncope is a common symptom in children, many of which are benign and do not require treatment. Anomalous aortic origin of a coronary artery (AAOCA) is a rare congenital malformation but can be a risk for serious cardiovascular events, including sudden death as well as cardiogenic syncope. Case Report . We describe the case of a 14-year-old boy who suffered an initial syncope and afebrile seizure during a soccer game. A detailed medical history and imaging studies led to the diagnosis of the anomalous aortic origin of the left main coronary artery with an intramural course (AAOLCA-IM)...

BACKGROUND: Congenital left ventricular diverticula (LVDs) and aneurysms (LVAs) are rare, developmental, cardiac anomalies, which are often asymptomatic. Sometimes they can cause life-threatening complications like arrhythmias, syncope, embolic events, ventricular wall rupture, valvular regurgitation, congestive heart failure, and various symptoms. Diagnosis is usually made after exclusion of acquired causes, from cardiac or non-cardiac disorders. Specific guidelines for LVD/LVA management are not available and treatment options are guided by different case-by-case clinical presentation and possible complications...

INTRODUCTION: Heat adaptation is protective against heat illness; however, its role in heat syncope, due to reflex mechanisms, has not been conclusively established. The aim of this study was to evaluate if heat acclimation (HA) was protective against heat syncope and to ascertain underlying physiological mechanisms. METHODS: Twenty (15 males, 5 females) endurance-trained athletes were randomized to either 8 d of mixed active and passive HA (HEAT) or climatically temperate exercise (CONTROL)...

Arrhythmogenic cardiomyopathy (AC) is an inherited disorder characterized by progressive loss of the ventricular myocardium causing life-threatening ventricular arrhythmias, syncope and sudden cardiac death in young and athletes. About 40% of AC cases carry one or more mutations in genes encoding for desmosomal proteins, including Desmoplakin (Dsp). We present here the first stable Dsp knock-out (KO) zebrafish line able to model cardiac alterations and cell signalling dysregulation, characteristic of the AC disease, on which environmental factors and candidate drugs can be tested...

Blood collection is an important facet of anti-doping testing, forming the basis of the Athlete Biological Passport (ABP). Traditional blood collection via venipuncture can be uncomfortable for athletes, especially those who are tested frequently or close to competition. Athletes may also have negative perceptions of venipuncture due to past experiences or the risks of adverse health events such as bruising, hematomas, syncope, and general discomfort that has the potential to affect performance. Advances in capillary whole blood collection technology now affords the ability to collect micro-volumetric capillary whole blood from the upper arm (or other suitable vascular location such as the abdomen) that is "needle-free" and virtually painless using devices such as the Tasso+...

BACKGROUND: Although postexercise syncope usually occurs shortly after physical exercise conclusion, athletes commonly reveal symptoms of postexercise hypotension several tens of minutes after exercise completion. Currently, no studies have investigated central hemodynamic regulation during posture changes occurring several tens of minutes after exercise compared to immediately after cessation. METHODS: This study examined changes in mean arterial pressure (MAP), heart rate (HR), systemic vascular conductance (SVC), cardiac output, and stroke volume during two sets of tilt tests performed before vs...

INTRODUCTION: Arrhythmogenic right ventricular cardiomyopathy (ARVC) is a rare inherited disorder usually affecting the right ventricle (RV), characterized by fibro-fatty tissue replacement of the healthy ventricular myocardium. It often predisposes young patients to ventricular tachycardia, heart failure, and/or sudden cardiac death. However, recent studies have suggested predominantly left ventricle (LV) involvement with variable and/or atypical manifestations. Cardiac magnetic resonance (CMR) imaging has emerged as the noninvasive gold standard for the diagnosis of ARVC...

Sudden cardiac death (SCD) is a condition that accounts for a high percentage of cardiovascular fatalities, with ventricular tachyarrhythmias being the most common cause. There are signs and symptoms of SCD that occur spontaneously without any warning and are deadly. Despite preventative efforts focusing on the use of subcutaneous implanted cardioverter defibrillators (S-ICD) in the highest-risk population categories, a high number of SCDs occur in the normal population and in people who do not have a documented cardiac condition...

This review aims to serve as a guide for clinical practice and to appraise the current knowledge on exercise stress echocardiography in the evaluation of intraventricular obstruction in HCM, in patients with cardiac syndrome X, in athletes with symptoms related to exercise, and in patients with normal left ventricular systolic function and exercise-related unexplained tiredness. The appearance of intraventricular obstruction while exercising is considered rare, and it usually occurs in patients with hypertrophy of the left ventricle...

No abstract text is available yet for this article.

Anomalous aortic origin of a coronary artery (AAOCA) is a congenital malformation of the coronary arteries that includes several subtypes. It is a leading cause of sudden cardiac death in young people, especially in competitive athletes. An accurate diagnosis and identification of high-risk patients with AAOCA for referral for surgical repair can help in the management of these patients. However, current diagnostic tools such as invasive angiography, echocardiography, and intravascular ultrasound have known limitations in visualizing coronary orifices and characterizing vessels...

Sports medicine providers often perform various outpatient procedures to manage musculoskeletal and neuropathic conditions. Vasovagal syncope is a rare but a possible complication. Convulsive syncope is one subtype that involves brief extensor stiffening and nonsustained myoclonus and can be easily mistaken for seizures. We present a case series of convulsive syncope as a complication of common sports medicine outpatient procedures. We aim to describe how to identify this condition, and offer risk stratification and management strategies to mitigate the risks of this complication...

Hypertrophic cardiomyopathy (HCM) is a cardiac muscle disorder characterized by generally asymmetric abnormal hypertrophy of the left ventricle without abnormal loading conditions (such as hypertension or valvular heart disease) accounting for the left ventricular wall thickness or mass. The incidence of sudden cardiac death (SCD) in HCM patients is about 1% yearly in adults, but it is far higher in adolescence. HCM is the most frequent cause of death in athletes in the Unites States of America. HCM is an autosomal-dominant genetic cardiomyopathy, and mutations in the genes encoding sarcomeric proteins are identified in 30-60% of cases...

We describe the case of an ultra-marathon runner who finished first the "Spartathlon", a 246 km running race. The finishing time was the second fastest time ever in "Spartathlon". After finishing the race, the athlete suffered non-cardiac syncope and was administered intravenously 3 L of fluids for 5 hours. He underwent two echocardiographic assessments, one immediately after the finish of the race and the second 5 h later. Post-exercise fluid administration led to an increase in dimensions of all cardiac cavities, accompanied by a decrease in left ventricular (LV) end-diastolic interventricular septum thickness and posterior wall thickness of 0...

BACKGROUND: Caffeine consumption causes diverse physiologic effects that can affect athletes both positively and negatively. There is a lack of research investigating the long-term effects of caffeine intake on exercise and on overall cardiovascular health in young athletes. HYPOTHESIS: Certain characteristics such as age, body mass index (BMI), race, and medical diagnoses are associated with increased caffeine use, and there is a relationship between caffeine consumption and symptoms during exercise and cardiovascular abnormalities in young athletes...

Syncope or "blackout" (BO) in breath-hold diving (freediving) is generally considered to be caused by hypoxia. However, it has been suggested that cardiac arrhythmias affecting the pumping effectivity could contribute to BO. BO is fairly common in competitive freediving, where athletes aim for maximal performance. We recorded heart rate (HR) during a static apnea (STA) competition, to reveal if arrhythmias occur. Four male freedivers with STA personal best (PB) of 349±43s, volunteered during national championships, where they performed STA floating face down in a shallow indoor pool...

Anomalous origin of the left coronary artery from the opposite sinus of Valsalva with an intramural aortic course (L-ACAOS-IM) can cause syncope, sometimes as a prodrome of lethal events, including sudden cardiac death, in young athletes. The detailed mechanism of syncope in patients with L-ACAOS-IM is still unclear. This case report describes a 17-year-old boy who presented to the hospital because of syncope following chest pain with increasing frequency during exercise, such as playing soccer and running...

We report the case of a 17-year-old athlete who resorted to the emergency department for palpitations and dizziness while exercising. He mentioned two episodes of syncope associated with exercise in the last six months. He was tachycardic and hypotensive. The electrocardiogram showed regular wide complex tachycardia with left bundle branch block morphology with superior axis restored to sinus rhythm after electrical cardioversion. In sinus rhythm, it showed T-wave inversion in V1-V5. Transthoracic echocardiography demonstrated mild dilation and dysfunction of the right ventricle (RV) with global hypocontractility...