Screening for Athletes and those wanting to participate in vigorous exercise

Introduction

With the increasing number of sporting events held and also the call for the population to be more healthy by exercising, more persons of all ages are participating in various sporting activities. Unfortunately, that has also led to an increasing number of spectacular headlines of people who collapse and die during exercise. It is important to assess a person’s cardiovascular fitness before he or she embarks on an exercise regimen.

Who should go for screening?

  1. Persons above 15 years of age who are participating in competitive sports or vigorous or extreme sporting activities.
  2. Persons above 35 years old who are embarking on an exercise program to keep healthy.
  3. Persons who have a history of heart problems or who had undergone treatment for heart problems and intend to start exercising regularly.

What do we screen for?

The screening comprises of detecting for congenital and acquired diseases. Congenital heart diseases are the heart problems that we are born with and are determined by genetic mutations for example hypertrophic cardiomyopathy, long QT syndrome and anomalous origins of the coronary arteries. Acquired diseases are those that develop because of the aging process and the risk factors that we carry for example coronary artery disease.

What tests will I undergo for the screening?

The tests include:

  1. A resting ECG;
  2. A transthoracic echocardiogram;
  3. An exercise stress echocardiogram and
  4. A CT coronary calcium score.

These tests would enable us to exclude the top 5 causes of sudden cardiac death in athletes and in persons participating in vigorous activities.

However, these tests do not exclude diseases that are acquired around the time of the physical activity such as viral myocarditis and heat stroke which can also lead to a cardiopulmonary collapse during exercise.

To make an appointment or for more information about screening for athletes, please contact us or email us.

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