TY  - JOUR
PY  - 2002//
TI  - Childhood sporting deaths
JO  - American journal of forensic medicine and pathology
A1  - Byard, R. W.
A1  - James, R. A.
A1  - Gilbert, J. D.
SP  - 364
EP  - 367
VL  - 23
IS  - 4
N2  - Exercise-induced collapse and sudden death are unusual in childhood. For this reason, a study was undertaken of a series of 12 cases of sudden death in childhood occurring during physical exertion associated with sporting activities. The age range was 7 to 16 years (mean 12.3 years, M:F ratio 5:1). Deaths resulted from trauma associated with the sporting activity, from an idiosyncratic response to exertion, or from exacerbation of a known underlying disease. Trauma was directly fatal (n = 4: vascular trauma in 1, head injury in 2, drowning in 1), exacerbated an underlying medical condition (n = 1: hypertrophic obstructive cardiomyopathy), or followed collapse from underlying organic disease (n = 1: drowning in epilepsy). Deaths after exertion occurred when there was an unexpected response to underlying occult disease (n = 4: aortic stenosis in 1, cerebral arteriovenous malformation in 1, hypertrophic obstructive cardiomyopathy in 1, coronary atherosclerosis in 1) or to preexisting known disease (n = 2: surgically corrected transposition of the great vessels in 1, asthma in 1). The fatal episodes often resulted from a complex interplay of a variety of factors, including physical exertion, possible trauma, and underlying organic disease. Testing of other family members may be indicated in cases where a rare, possibly familial, disease is found. Evaluation of cases required descriptions of activities before death, information from the medical history of the deceased, and detailed findings from the autopsy.<p /> <p>Language: en</p>
LA  - en
SN  - 0195-7910
UR  - http://dx.doi.org/10.1097/01.PAF.0000035380.89866.D2
ID  - ref1
ER  -