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Why are so many football players dying or collapsing from heart attacks...?

Even the young players are having heart issues, but why is this? And why footballers?

I train in boxing, and I personally believe that boxing is a more physically strenuous sport than football, especially the training. But you still don't hear about boxers collapsing from heart attacks, and if it does happen, it's very rare.

But there seems to be an issue with footballers dying from heart attacks. Why are footballers more affected by this?

I know it's probably heard about more, as there are probably hundreds of thousands of footballers in the UK, but it's still shocking to see so many footballers, especially young ones dying from heart attacks.

Your opinions?

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I can't see any reason why it would be more common in footballers than in any other sport. It happens because of a pre-existing undiagnosed heart condition and the arrest can just be triggered by the exercise (although it can occur at any time even at rest) so it seems reasonable to assume that boxers will likely have a similar incidence. Perhaps it is simply because in the UK football is the most popular sport, with considerably more people doing it than boxing, and as such there are more cases because of the larger sample? On top of that, footballers tend to be (as a generalization) more widely known than boxers, so it will be bigger news when a well known footballer collapses. The thing I find surprising is that professional athletes do not have regular screening for heart problems throughout their career.
Reply 2
overload.
Reply 3
too much energy drink, I believe.
It does not matter what your profession is, anyone can suffer an heart attack (family genes etc).
Reply 5
Original post by TheEnigmaUK
Even the young players are having heart issues, but why is this? And why footballers?

I train in boxing, and I personally believe that boxing is a more physically strenuous sport than football, especially the training. But you still don't hear about boxers collapsing from heart attacks, and if it does happen, it's very rare.

But there seems to be an issue with footballers dying from heart attacks. Why are footballers more affected by this?

I know it's probably heard about more, as there are probably hundreds of thousands of footballers in the UK, but it's still shocking to see so many footballers, especially young ones dying from heart attacks.

Your opinions?


So many = a handful.

You're blowing this out of proportion.

It's tragic, but its not an epidemic which needs to be combated. It's just unfortunate.
There haven't been that many, have there?
Original post by tibbles209
The thing I find surprising is that professional athletes do not have regular screening for heart problems throughout their career.


The problem with heart screenings at the moment is that if any professional were to get their heart screened, 98% of them will be given the 'all clear'. However, this screening test means the heart appears to be 'ok' at that given time.

The problem with this, is that some footballers may have pre existing heart conditions, but they don't get picked up from the screening test, and this will act as a ticking time bomb if you like. This is where the problem lies.

I agree with what you are saying, the more often professional athletes have their hearts screened, the more lives could be saved.
Reply 8
it's roids, i'm telling ya man!
Reply 9
usDw2.jpg
So many? How many have there actually been? And then compare it to how many footballers there are, you'll find it's comparable to the national average more or less.
Original post by TheEnigmaUK
Even the young players are having heart issues, but why is this? And why footballers?

I train in boxing, and I personally believe that boxing is a more physically strenuous sport than football, especially the training. But you still don't hear about boxers collapsing from heart attacks, and if it does happen, it's very rare.

But there seems to be an issue with footballers dying from heart attacks. Why are footballers more affected by this?

I know it's probably heard about more, as there are probably hundreds of thousands of footballers in the UK, but it's still shocking to see so many footballers, especially young ones dying from heart attacks.

Your opinions?


So many = Fabrice Muamba. Is that what you class as 'so many'?

(pretty sure he's the only one who's collapsed due to heart problems in the last 6 months - 1 year, might be wrong though. don't keep up with football much)
(edited 11 years ago)
Original post by sil3nt_cha0s
So many = Fabrice Muamba. Is that what you class as 'so many'?

(pretty sure he's the only one who's collapsed due to heart problems in the last 6 months - 1 year, might be wrong though. don't keep up with football much)


There was a footballer who died last week in a cup game... he was older and playing for a lesser-known club, hence the lack of media reporting

.......................................................

People are screened in competitive sports because often an undiagnosed heart condition can make people a better player (e.g. bigger heart, greater oxygen pumping capabilities) or have other desirable sporting qualities (e.g. taller people, great for basketball etc but if its in association with a genetic condition they have high risk of heart problems - Marfan's syndrome)

In addition to this you get the fact that people are training for crazy hours at a very high standard, something which we're no longer expected to do (in evolutionary terms).
There a lot of footballers which have died from cardiac arrest or heart related problems. This is mainly the reason why...
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hypertrophic_cardiomyopathy
Reply 14
I think its :innocent::innocent::innocent::innocent::innocent::innocent::innocent::innocent: I think someones poisoned them either the manager or the players because footballers don't just die of a heart attacker they :innocent::innocent::innocent::innocent:ing eat healthy and train unless there smoking pot but I don't believe they do its aload of :innocent::innocent::innocent::innocent::innocent::innocent::innocent::innocent: its the corobers lying covering up for people :innocent::innocent::innocent::innocent::innocent::innocent::innocent::innocent:
Reply 15
snorting too much coke can lead to sudden cardiac arrest. true story

you honestly believe genuinely healthy, athletic men suddenly collapse and die for no unknown reason? its drugs, people just don't want to say it.
Hi all,

I think we need to look at things in perspective, and as always in medicine, keep an open mind when considering the differential diagnosis, in fact of any clinical symptomatology, in this case sadly, in SCD (Sudden Cardiac Death), retrospectively.

Although Luke Roughton's and Nerry's ideas of HOCM and "drugs", respectively, are possibilities, that is EXACTLY what they are: one of several possible explanations, which might be the actual causes in one or two instances.

THE MOST IMPORTANT point to take into account is that these reports, when publicized in the media, are not only aimed at laymen, but almost exclusively, created by laymen (sorry to say, but even the likes of Fergus Walsh are simply orators, not medics); the point I am heading towards is that the term "heart attack" is a very unprofessional and imprecise label, which refers to MI (myocardial infarction - "death" of cardiac muscle due to ischaemia [lack of blood supply] and hence of oxygen [anoxia]), AND CHANCES ARE THE MAJORITY OF THESE SCDs ARE NOT DUE TO MI (in line with the thoughts of Diamond Sky above, which suggests the opposite!)

The most likely causes of SCD include prolonged QT syndrome (as in Brugada disease - yes rare, but as we said there are hundreds of thousands of footballers), which can be caused by certain commonly used "drugs" (and I AM REFERRING TO LEGAL ONES this time!) e.g.older antihistamines, certain antibiotics [e.g. erythromycin], and last but not least, the antipsychotics (including, notably, the more recently introduced "atypical neuroleptics"). The classical sudden upturned head followed by collapse in torsades de pointes (multifocal ventricular tachycardia) is extremely unlikely to be noticed by anyone when the victim is playing a fast, action-packed sport. (the QT interval [corrected] is usually greater than 500ms in such situations).

Finally, I would say the best (and perhaps only) person who can answer this Q with any degree of expertise (AND WIKIPEDIA is a pretty poor website to consult for detailed authoritative information) is Dr Sanjay Sharma, Consultant Cardiologist, Guys and Kings College Hospitals group, who is THE world authority on SCD and inherited cardiac disease - but, of course, he would not have a split-second to even register on TSR! BTW, he was summoned to Spain few years ago when a Spanish football player collapsed and died there.

I hope my modest knowledge of cardiology adds some flavour to this discussion.

M (former medical student)
Reply 17
Joking aren't you shows what you know. There have been 20 deaths on the pitch. Fabrice Moumba wasn't the only one. Look it up!
I'll probably get shot down in flames but my suspicion is that it's the Covid vaccines and we will see significantly more incidences going forward . . .
Original post by GinjaNinja64
I'll probably get shot down in flames but my suspicion is that it's the Covid vaccines and we will see significantly more incidences going forward . . .

Old thread boss.

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