DOHA: Pre-participation screening that includes eco-cardiograms (ECGs) can prevent up to 90% of sudden cardiac deaths on the field, a senior representative from the UAE Sports Medicine Committee said yesterday.
Speaking at Aspire Med, the first of three forums held at Aspire4Sport, Dr Abdelhameed Al Attar, Chairman of the UAE Sports Medicine Committee, part of the Emirati Olympic Committee, explained that many countries exclude ECGs from athletes’ pre-participation screening because it is not considered cost-effective.
“Many practitioners think these deaths occur too rarely to justify pre-screening; however, earlier reports are based on media stories and insurance company reports,” Al Attar said.
He added that more scientific data collection had revealed higher incidences of sudden cardiac deaths among performing athletes that had not caught the public eye.
Speaking alongside Al Attar was Dr Othman Salah, Cardiologist at Aspetar Orthopeadic and Sports Medicine Hospital, who presented the findings of the screening of 5,200 athletes from across the GCC in the widest effort undertaken yet in the Middle East and Africa to understand sudden cardiac deaths among athletes.
“Most African athletes had never been examined by a doctor before, and Aspetar, in its research, provided a front line service to them,” Dr Salah said.
According to the research, Arab and African athletes are more likely to present uncommon ECG results and require additional testing. Aspetar doctors diagnosed 17 athletes out of the group who were at risk of sudden cardiac death and were required to stop playing sport. Aspire Med kicked off yesterday morning with opening remarks by Dr Khalifa Al Kuwari, CEO, Aspetar Orthopaedic and Sports Medicine Hospital.
“Aspire Med brings together physiotherapists, orthopedic surgeons, doctors of sports medicine, dieticians, trainers and coaches to learn from international and regional industry experts,” Dr Al Kuwari said.
“From today’s conference we can all learn what makes sense for athletes in Qatar, the Middle East and around the world.”THE PENINSULA
