Eligibility and Disqualification Recommendations for Competitive Athletes With Cardiovascular Abnormalities: Task Force 2: Preparticipation Screening for Cardiovascular Disease in Competitive Athletes

The AHA recommendations acknowledge that athletes and others with underlying (but undiagnosed) cardiovascular abnormalities may well manifest clinical warning signs (e.g., chest pain, excessive exertional dyspnea, or syncope) identifiable by careful and systematic history. Because most diseases responsible for sudden death in the young are genetic/familial, a thorough family history may raise suspicion of the disorder. [...]outcome data on athlete screening and mortality have been driven primarily by only 1 database, from the Veneto region of Italy (9% of the national population) as part of its long-term screening program (6,9).