HEALTHNET

Who killed that well-built man?
Heart stroke during exercise

Occasionally we read about the mysterious death of a young, well-built man from newspaper.

(Posted on 27 August 2005)

The heartbroken family members would query what happened, claiming that he always enjoyed good health in the past, without any record of serious illness. The witnesses said that there had been no physical symptom noticed before the tragic moment, when the man collapsed during his physical training.

It sounds like a murder by an experienced killer. No wound, no symptom, killed in a second. Who is this killer? The killer has probably stayed long in his body - many of such cases are indeed sudden cardiac deaths during exercise.

The silent killer

According to the definition given by the medical community, exercise-induced sudden death is a sudden, but non-accidental at all, death during or shortly after exercise. A patient of sudden cardiac death tends to witness no visible symptoms before he falls into coma. The common symptoms of heart attacks, such as chest discomfort, sudden pallor, dizziness, severe shortness of breath or palpitation, are sometimes reported by a small number of survivors of sudden cardiac attack.

Exercise-induced sudden death is rarely reported among women. The condition usually occurs in males, both young and aged, in good as well as poor physical condition, with or without preexisting symptoms of heart diseases. The sickness is associated with a high rate of death. While there is hardly any previous symptom, the health condition of the patient does deteriorate rapidly.

The cause of exercise-induced sudden death varies from case to case. With older people, death during exercise is commonly due to coronary artery disease. Whereas with younger people, common causes include congenital heart disease, anomalous coronary artery, myocarditis and hypertrophic cardiomyopathy.

However male sex does not necessarily imply high risk of exercise-induced sudden death. There is no need to be paranoid unless, one or more of your family members have suffered from sudden death, syncope or premature coronary artery disease.

Killing takes a moment, saving takes life-long

Currently there is no effective way to prevent sudden cardiac attack during exercise. Some cardiac patients are offered implantation of defibrillator to save their lives in the cases of sudden cardiac attack. However it is far more positive to prevent heart disease.

Regular health examination is the best measure to detect any early heart disease before it attacks. Blood pressure measurement, cardiac examination, lipid profile and electrocardiogram etc. are useful tests recommended by cardiologists. Echocardiogram is useful in detecting problems like congenital heart disease, cardiomyopathy, valvular heart disease and impaired cardiac function.

Men with age above 40 years should give extra caution when starting any plan of regular exercise. Treadmill exercise stress test, which can be taken easily in a clinic setting, is recommended by cardiologists.

Being in risk of heart stroke should not be a barrier for one to enjoy exercise. However adequate warm-up is advisable before any intensive exercise. During exercise, watch out for symptoms of heart stroke. If you encounter dizziness, chest pain, or difficulty to breath, don't wait, stop the exercise and consult a doctor immediately. Do not give a second to the silent killer.

Source: United Medical Practice (UMP), Hong Kong

More stories