Pre-participation of sport screening
There are many instances where a person suffers from heart attack during sports which leads to cardiac arrest and death.
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How can this be prevented? It is prudent that a person undergoes a proper health check prior to the participation of the sport. This is especially so when a person has not been involved in active sport for years and has cardiovascular risk factors.
Cardiovascular risk factors in general include hypertension, diabetes mellitus, hypercholesterolemia, history of smoking which include passive smoker and family history of coronary heart disease.
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Pre-participation of sport screening with simple ECG and echocardiogram are extremely valuable to detect the abnormal heart rhythm, to assess the heart function and to assess for any structural heart abnormality. If indicated, treadmill exercise test or CT coronary angiogram (CTCA) or Magnetic Resonance Myocardial Perfusion Imaging (MR MPI) can be used to assess for the coronary heart disease, evidence of myocardial ischemia (lack of oxygen in heart muscle as a result of coronary heart disease) and the blood pressure, heart rate and heart rhythm during exercise.
A proper evaluation will ensure that an individual is safe to undergo certain level of exercise and to avoid cardiac arrest, heart attack or sudden cardiac death during exercise.