ArticlePloS one2017
Sports-related sudden cardiac deaths in the young population of Switzerland.
Article in PloS one, 2017. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 15 papers, 4 of them syntheses that pooled it.
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Who cites it
15 citing papers in PubMed, 4 syntheses or guidelines pooled it, 32 citations in OpenAlex.
- Sex Differences in the Incidence of Sudden Cardiac Arrest/Death in Competitive Athletes: A Systematic Review and Meta-analysis.Sports medicine (Auckland, N.Z.) · 2025Pooled it
- 2020 APHRS/HRS expert consensus statement on the investigation of decedents with sudden unexplained death and patients with sudden cardiac arrest, and of their families.Heart rhythm · 2021Guideline
- Pooled it
- The Brazilian Society of Cardiology and Brazilian Society of Exercise and Sports Medicine Updated Guidelines for Sports and Exercise Cardiology - 2019.Arquivos brasileiros de cardiologia · 2019Guideline
- Cardiovascular Screening and Clearance Pathways for Recreational Athletes: Beyond the Elite.JACC. Case reports · 2026Article
- Cardiovascular diseases and risk factors associated with sudden cardiac death in amateur athletes: a scoping review.Frontiers in public health · 2026Article
- High-risk coronary plaque of sudden cardiac death victims: postmortem CT angiographic features and histopathologic findings.International journal of legal medicine · 2024Article
- Myocardial Infarction in Young Athletes.Diagnostics (Basel, Switzerland) · 2023Review
- Cardiopulmonary Resuscitation and Defibrillator Use in Sports.Frontiers in cardiovascular medicine · 2022Review
- Postmortem coronary artery calcium score in cases of myocardial infarction.International journal of legal medicine · 2021Article
- Cardiac magnetic resonance imaging characteristics for the differentiation of athlete's heart from inherited cardiomyopathies.The international journal of cardiovascular imaging · 2021Article
- 2020 APHRS/HRS expert consensus statement on the investigation of decedents with sudden unexplained death and patients with sudden cardiac arrest, and of their families.Journal of arrhythmia · 2021Article
- Symptoms Preceding Sports-Related Sudden Cardiac Death in Persons Aged 1-49 Years.Current cardiology reports · 2021Review
- Sports-related sudden cardiac death due to myocardial diseases on a population from 1-35 years: a multicentre forensic study in Spain.Forensic sciences research · 2019Article
- Review
Corrections and comments
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Authors and funding
13 authors at 4 institutions in 1 country.
Funding
No grant is acknowledged in the PubMed record.
Abstract
backgroundIn Switzerland, ECG screening was first recommended for national squad athletes in 1998. Since 2001 it has become mandatory in selected high-risk professional sports. Its impact on the rates of sports-related sudden cardiac death (SCD) is unknown.
objectiveWe aimed to study the incidence, causes and time trends of sports-related SCD in comparison to SCD unrelated to exercise in Switzerland.
methodsWe reviewed all forensic reports of SCDs of the German-speaking region of Switzerland in the age group of 10 to 39 years, occurring between 1999 and 2010. Cases were classified into three categories based on whether or not deaths were associated with sports: no sports (NONE), recreational sports (REC), and competitive sports (COMP).
resultsOver the 12-year study period, 349 SCD cases were recorded (mean age 30±7 years, 76.5% male); 297 cases were categorized as NONE, 31 as REC, and 21 as COMP. Incidences of SCD per 100,000 person-years [mean (95% CI)] were the lowest in REC [0.43 (0.35-0.56)], followed by COMP [1.19 (0.89-1.60)] and NONE [2.46 (2.27-2.66)]. In all three categories, coronary artery disease (CAD) with or without acute myocardial infarction (MI) was the most common cause of SCD. Three professional athletes were identified in COMP category which all had SCD due to acute MI. There were no time trends, neither in overall, nor in cause-specific incidences of SCD.
conclusionsThe incidence of SCD in young individuals in Switzerland is low, both related and unrelated to sports. In regions, like Switzerland, where CAD is the leading cause of SCD associated with competitions, screening for cardiovascular risk factors in addition to the current PPS recommendations might be indicated to improve detection of silent CAD and further decrease the incidence of SCD.
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