Sudden Cardiac Arrest During Sports Activity in Middle Age[1]
Summary
Background— Sports-associated sudden cardiac arrests (SCAs) occur mostly during middle age. We sought to determine the burden, characteristics, and outcomes of SCA during sports among middle-aged residents of a large US community. Methods and Results— Patients with SCA who were 35 to 65 years of age were identified in a large, prospective, population-based study (2002–2013), with systematic and comprehensive assessment of their lifetime medical history. Of the 1247 SCA cases, 63 (5%) occurred during sports activities at a mean age of 51.1±8.8 years, yielding an incidence of 21.7 (95% confidence interval, 8.1–35.4) per 1 million per year. The incidence varied significantly by sex, with a higher incidence among men (relative risk, 18.68; 95% confidence interval, 2.50–139.56) for sports SCAs compared with all other SCAs (relative risk 2.58; 95% confidence interval, 2.12–3.13). Sports SCA was also more likely to be a witnessed event (87% versus 53%; P <0.001) with cardiopulmonary resuscita