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Medscape [2002] reports that exercise related fainting (syncope) is predictive of cardiac arrest:
"Finally, an elegant study from Italy served as a reminder that there is more to noninvasive assessment than high-tech methods. By law, young athletes in Italy are required to undergo yearly screening for cardiovascular risk factors. The screening includes measures of height, weight, heart rate, and blood pressure as well as a medical history. It turns out that simply asking about previous episodes of syncope -- ie, Were there any in the last 5 years and, if so, did the episodes occur during or immediately following exercise? -- was enough to identify young athletes at risk for sudden death. Furio Colivicchi, MD,[4] reported that when 7568 athletes were asked these questions, six reported a history of exertional syncope. After additional testing that included echocardiography, Holter monitoring, and maximal ECG exercise testing, one subject was diagnosed with nonobstructive hypertrophic cardiomyopathy and another demonstrated repeat nonsustained ventricular tachycardia on Holter. This study, concluded Richard L. Page, MD, of the University of Texas Southwestern, Dallas, is 'a good reminder that the simplest of all noninvasive assessments is the medical history.'"
Jot down or copy an author name before you take this link to an abstract finder: Colivicchi F, Ammirati F, Racani C, Altamura V, Biffi A, Santini M. Prevalence and prognostic relevance of syncope in young competitive athletes. Program and abstracts of the North American Society of Pacing and Electrophysiology 23rd Annual Scientific Sessions; May 8-11, 2002; San Diego, California. Abstract 100499.