Heart trouble blamed for most sudden deaths of young athletes

October 17, 2003

By MERCEDES MAYER
Star-Telegram Staff Writer

Heart problems are the leading cause of sudden deaths among athletes younger than 25, according to a doctor from the University Interscholastic League's Medical Advisory Committee.

Craig Boatwright, a 17-year-old football player who had planned to play at Texas Christian University, was pronounced dead after he collapsed while running at Everman High School early Thursday morning. The cause of death has not been determined, but school officials said Boatwright was in excellent health.

Alan Stockard, a sports medicine specialist in San Marcos, said hypertrophic cardiomyopathy, or an enlarged heart, is a typical cause of death among young athletes.

"It's made worse by physical activity," Stockard said. "It can cause the heart to go into an abnormal heart rhythm.

"The heart has walls, and one of those walls can get enlarged or swollen with certain stresses like physical activity. It can cause the electrical activity in the heart to go awry, which causes an irregular heartbeat."

High school athletes are given physical examinations before every season and answer questions about family history. But the checkups do not include heart screenings.

"If the answers are all negative and they have a normal physical, it's almost impossible to detect," Stockard said.

Doctors will perform further tests on an athlete if an abnormality is found during the physicals or there is a family history of heart disease.

Arnold Fenrich, a pediatric cardiology specialist and a member of the UIL medical committee, said most heart conditions are inherited.

Because of the concern of sudden deaths linked to heart problems, the UIL committee recommended in April that schools have at least one automated external defibrillator, which costs $1,300 to $3,000.

"Data suggests that for every minute the heartbeat is in that rhythm, the chances for a reasonable, neurological survival decreases 10 percent," Fenrich said. "By five minutes, their reasonable chances are reduced by 50 percent. When you have nine or 10 minutes, there is little chance."

Everman High School does not have a defibrillator, said Dan Powell, superintendent of the Everman school district.

Heart problems have been blamed in several recent high school student-athlete deaths.

In 2001, a Houston football player died of an enlarged heart, just one day after a Luling football player died of a suspected cardiac arrest. In November 2001, a Pasadena Dobie basketball player collapsed and died during a game. In August 2002, a DeSoto track athlete collapsed and died after jogging two miles.

Fifteen football players died in the United States last season, down from 23 in 2001, according to a University of North Carolina study. None of the deaths in 2002 was from heatstroke.

Mercedes Mayer, (817) 390-7760 mmayer@star-telegram.com

Copyright 2003 Star-Telegram, Inc.