Posted on 03/02/2010 8:40:09 PM PST by neverdem
They are young, strong, competitive athletes, in top physical condition. Yet about 90 of them drop dead every year, often in the heat of competition, victims of sudden cardiac death. Now a new study suggests that there is a cost-effective way to lower the death rate significantly: screening athletes with an electrocardiogram.
But starting such a screening program in the United States is controversial.
An earlier observational study, published in The Journal of the American Medical Association in 2006, confirmed the value of EKG screening. For almost 30 years, the Italian Ministry of Health has required screening for competitive athletes and tracked the results. Using those data, the study found that screening reduced the number of cardiac deaths by 89 percent among athletes 14 to 35 years old, making the rate similar to that among nonathletes of the same age.
The success of the Italian approach has led the European Society of Cardiology and the International Olympic Committee to recommend EKG screening for all competitive athletes. But the American Heart Association suggests only a medical history and physical exam.
While the usefulness of preventive screening for some diseases has been widely debated, the main argument against electrocardiograms for young athletes is not that they do not work, but that they would be too expensive for the number of deaths they would prevent. But an analysis published this week in The Annals of Internal Medicine calls that argument into question.
Using estimates from the Italian data, the authors of the new study created a computer simulation of how American athletes 14 to 22 years old would be affected by screening. They found that compared with no screening at all, screening with only a medical history and a physical examination saves just 0.56 life-years per 1,000 athletes, and costs about $111 per...
(Excerpt) Read more at nytimes.com ...
Screaming?
Oh, screening.
An apple a day? Study shows soluble fiber boosts immune system
Cabbage Soup Diet: Cruciferous Cabbage Can Kill Cancer Cells
Prozac and Celexa exhibit anti-inflammatory effects (Rheumatoid Arthritis)
FReepmail me if you want on or off my health and science ping list.
Hello, neverdem. Would you please include me on your health and science ping list?
Disclaimer: Opinions posted on Free Republic are those of the individual posters and do not necessarily represent the opinion of Free Republic or its management. All materials posted herein are protected by copyright law and the exemption for fair use of copyrighted works.