Sports Cardiology
Sports, correctly performed, have a lot of beneficial effects on the cardiovascular system.
In contrast, high intensity sports athletes have an increased probability of sudden death in presence of unknown underlying cardiovascular disease.
The main underlying pathological conditions differ based on the age of the athlete:
- genetic heart diseases predominate in young athletes
- ischemic heart disease predominates in more than 80% of cases in athletes over 35 years of age
Furthermore, the recent COVID-19 pandemic calls for attention to possible cardiopulmonary complications.
Our specialized team offers assistance aimed to:
- carry out a screening based on:
- athlete clinical characteristics
- training intensity
- previous SARS-CoV-2 disease or suggestive symptoms, in line with the document developed by Italian Sports Medicine Federation
- carry out a careful risk stratification in athletes with confirmed cardiovascular disease
- promote the beneficial effects of sport on the cardiovascular system both on healthy "non-athletes" subjects and on subjects with pre-existing diseases (i.e. obesity, diabetes mellitus, arterial hypertension, dyslipidemia and heart failure)
- athlete clinical characteristics
- training intensity
- previous SARS-CoV-2 disease or suggestive symptoms, in line with the document developed by Italian Sports Medicine Federation
Reference: European Heart Journal (2020) 00, 1-80