Essay: Sudden death in young athletes

Millions of young people practise sport, following the wise aphorism “mens sana in corpore sano” (“A sound mind in a healthy body”). Competitive athletes are regarded as the healthiest group in society and, often, as heroes. Sudden death during sport is rare, but its occurrence is generally widely reported in the media because young and apparently healthy individuals are affected. The sudden and unexpected demise of a young athlete is always a powerful and tragic event, which devastates families, other young competitors, and the community. The actual rate of sudden death in young athletes during organised competitive sports is uncertain, but overall is low. Retrospective analyses estimate the prevalence in the USA in high-school and college athletes to be less than one in 100 000 participants per year, and a prospective population-based study in Italy reported a yearly incidence of three per 100 000 athletes aged 35 years or younger. The slight discrepancy could be explained by the older mean age (23 vs 16 years) of the Italian athletes studied and their greater degree of participation in sport.