Elite athletes may be physically fit, able to run, lift weights and play at the highest level of their sport, but a shocking study shows they are at increased risk of fatal cardiovascular complications.
There have been a number of high-profile heart scares among top athletes, such as Lebron James’ basketball star son Bronny James at age 18 and Boston Celtics Hall of Fame player Reggie Lewis.
Both suffered cardiac arrest while practicing their sport, the latter dying from it at just 27 years old.
Events like this raise eyebrows as people wonder how top athletes suffer a medical event associated with poor diet, obesity, and a host of other serious comorbidities.
And in the wake of the Covid-19 pandemic, some believed vaccines could have played a role, while others say the virus itself could be to blame.
But now, scientists believe they have discovered a possible explanation behind why people in the best shape of their lives suffer from heart disease: hypertension, or high blood pressure.
Lebron James’ basketball star son Bronny James suffered cardiac arrest while playing basketball in 2023
Presentation recommendations At the American College of Cardiology’s Care of the Athletic Heart conference, a researcher at the University of Los Angeles Medical Center found that nearly half of athletes suffered from high blood pressure, with multi-sport athletes and basketball players running. higher risk.
Among the general U.S. population, about 47 percent of people have high blood pressure.
But athletes much younger than the average hypertension patient still suffer from the condition.
Summary author Dr Aneeq Malik, medical director of the Saving Hearts Foundation, said: “Despite being perceived as a generally healthy population, young athletes are not immune to heart disease, including high blood pressure.” .
Researchers looked at 1,200 young athletes involved in a community-based athlete screening program in the Los Angeles area between the ages of 10 and 31.
The majority of participants were men (60 percent) and 40 percent women.
The results showed that 21 percent of the athletes were classified as having prehypertension, 13 percent had stage one hypertension and eight percent were diagnosed with stage two hypertension.
Researchers attributed hypertension in athletes to the training they perform, such as certain cardiovascular exercises to improve endurance and speed or weight lifting to strengthen key muscles used in games.
A difference in diets may also play a role in maintaining peak performance, with different proportions of calories, fat and protein consumed by different players.
Boston Celtics Hall of Fame basketball player Reggie Lewis suffered cardiac arrest while playing basketball in 1993 and died at just 27 years old.
Additionally, the difference in physical size of athletes, such as extreme height in basketball players or greater weight in certain football players, may also contribute.
In the case of hypertension, size matters because blood has to travel further in physically larger people, which increases the intensity of the heart’s work.
Blood pressure is measured in two numbers in millimeters of mercury (mm Hg). The first number represents the pressure caused by the heart beating and pushing blood through the arteries and the second is the pressure in the arteries when the heart relaxes between beats.
A healthy blood pressure for most adults is 90 to 120/60 to 80 mm Hg.
Prehypertension is 120 to 129/less than 80. Stage one is 130 to 139/80 to 89 mm Hg and stage two is more than 140/more than 90.
When someone has a blood pressure higher than 120/80 mmHg, their heart is in overdrive, according to the American College of Cardiology. This forces the organ to work harder to pump blood throughout the body.
Over time, high blood pressure can weaken the heart and blood vessels, which can lead to cardiovascular disease, including sudden cardiac arrest.
Male athletes in the study were more likely than women to have stage one or two hypertension, and athletes who participated in multiple sports had the highest prevalence, about a quarter.
Basketball and soccer players were almost tied for second most often, about one in four.
Based on the findings, Dr. Malik said: “The study highlights the importance of recognizing and addressing elevated blood pressure in young athletes…The findings emphasize that screening for hypertension should be a routine part of sports physical examinations. and that confirmatory testing is needed to accurately diagnose the condition.’
This study confirmed previous findings showing that sports with higher levels of static exercise (that which increases tension in the muscles) were associated with higher blood pressure.
Both basketball and soccer involve moderate levels of this type of physical activity.
A 2016 study published in a cardiovascular journal found that sudden cardiac death is the most common cause of sudden death in athletes. While rates vary widely, one estimate puts the incidence rate of sudden cardiac death in this population at one in 40,000 to one in 80,000 per year.
Additionally, Dr. Muhammad Aftab, a cardiac surgeon who has separately researched the matter, estimates that sudden cardiac arrest is responsible for 75 percent of deaths during exercise sports.
To avoid potentially fatal hypertensive events, Dr. Malik said it is important to educate young athletes and their families about the condition and what lifestyle modifications they can make to reduce their risk, including changes in diet, sleep habits healthy, stress management and the use of certain supplements.