Should young athletes be screened for cardiomyopathies to reduce the burden of sudden cardiac death in athletes?

Abstract

In this correspondence, we highlight the risk of sudden cardiac death associated with undiagnosed cardiomyopathies. Life-threatening arrhythmias, which underlie sudden cardiac death, can be triggered by high-intensity exercise. It raises the question whether, and if so, how athletes should be screened for cardiomyopathies. The example of practice from Italy is discussed. We also briefly discuss novel developments, such as wearable biosensors and machine learning, which could be applied to screening for cardiomyopathies in future.

Keywords: Arrhythmia; Arrhythmogenic cardiomyopathy; Electrocardiogram; Hypertrophic cardiomyopathy; Machine learning; Sudden cardiac death; Wearables.