Probable Cause of Death in Young Athletes I
In STLtoday.com, columnist Dr. Paul Donahue says that abnormal heartbeats are often the cause of death in young athletes. The previous blog speaks about a 23-year-old athlete who died of unknown causes, and here Dr. Donahue answers. He said that these sudden deaths of young athletes during exercise can be pointed to many reasons. The primary one is the enlargement of the heart muscle called hypertrophic cardiomyopathy and is often with a genetic basis. It is difficult to pump out blood from the heart with an enlarged heart. In addition, muscle fibers haphazardly arranged leads to development of serious and fatal heart rhythms.