life is Short
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- Apr 1, 2013
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[h=1]Why do some young men have heart problems[/h]
By: Hugh Wilson
Fabrice Muamba is not the first footballer to collapse on the pitch, but why are fit young men at risk of heart conditions?
At the time of writing Fabrice Muamba - the Bolton footballer who collapsed during his side's game against Tottenham on Saturday - is still fighting for his life in a London hospital.
Among prayers for his recovery and expressions of sympathy one question has been asked time and again. How could someone so young and so fit - Muamba was reportedly one of the fittest players at Bolton - collapse from a heart condition?
In fact, Muamba is not the first athlete to suffer a devastating cardiac event. Another recent example is the tragic case of Marc-Vivien Foé, a Cameroon international and former Manchester City star who collapsed during a game against Colombia in 2003, and died shortly afterwards. In the last century or so, at least 80 young, fit men have died suddenly while playing football.
It's suspected that Muamba (like Foé) suffered from hypertrophic cardiomyopathy (HCM), a thickening of the wall of the heart that can actually be made worse by the strict training regimes top footballers undertake.
Here's all you need to know about HCM, and the other heart conditions that can affect apparently healthy young men.
HCM / hypertrophic cardiomyopathy
According to the British Heart Foundation (BHF), HCM might be one of the most common heart conditions in young men but that doesn't make it common. It affects 1 in 500 of the UK population. It's a genetic condition passed on through families - a child of someone with HCM has a 50% chance of inheriting the condition.
HCM affects your heart by thickening its muscular wall, and though the location and extent of the thickening varies, it means your heart finds it harder to pump blood to the rest of your body. This may barely affect normal day-to-day life, but when the heart is severely strained - during a football match, perhaps - it can have serious consequences.
But it doesn't have to. It could be that Fabrice Muamba has been unlucky, even for someone with HCM. Many people with the condition have no serious problems.
Unfortunately, it seems certain that Muamba had no symptoms that would have alerted the medical staff at Bolton or any of his previous clubs to a possible heart condition. People diagnosed with HCM are usually advised to give up competitive sports (though not exercise).
Some people do have symptoms, like shortness of breath, chest pain, palpitations and light-headedness, but these can usually be controlled with treatment. If you experience any of these, or have a close relative who has been diagnosed with HCM, see your doctor but don't be alarmed. Most people with symptoms like these don't have HCM, and with proper treatment most people who do have the condition can live normal lives.
It's true that a small number of people with HCM are at risk of developing an abnormal heart rhythm that can be life threatening. Tragically, Muamba may have been one, with his risk exacerbated by the strain of playing professional football. But with proper care most people won't suffer this potentially fatal development. HCM is a heart condition but by no means a death sentence.
Other conditions
HCM is one of a number of heart conditions that can affect younger people. For example, inherited heart rhythm disturbance is an umbrella term for a series of genetic conditions affecting the electrical impulses that make the heart beat normally.
The most common of these is called Long QT Syndrome (LQTS), which can cause fast, chaotic heartbeats. Sometimes LQTS can lead to fainting and young people with it have an increased risk of sudden death.
The good news is that LQTS only affects about 1 in 2,000 people. It can be controlled with drugs or - in more serious cases - sufferers may need a pacemaker or implantable cardioverter defibrillator (ICD) fitted. An ICD is a device that continually monitors your heartbeat and can deliver electrical shocks to make your heart beat normally again if a life-threatening disturbance occurs.
By: Hugh Wilson
Fabrice Muamba is not the first footballer to collapse on the pitch, but why are fit young men at risk of heart conditions?
At the time of writing Fabrice Muamba - the Bolton footballer who collapsed during his side's game against Tottenham on Saturday - is still fighting for his life in a London hospital.
Among prayers for his recovery and expressions of sympathy one question has been asked time and again. How could someone so young and so fit - Muamba was reportedly one of the fittest players at Bolton - collapse from a heart condition?
In fact, Muamba is not the first athlete to suffer a devastating cardiac event. Another recent example is the tragic case of Marc-Vivien Foé, a Cameroon international and former Manchester City star who collapsed during a game against Colombia in 2003, and died shortly afterwards. In the last century or so, at least 80 young, fit men have died suddenly while playing football.
It's suspected that Muamba (like Foé) suffered from hypertrophic cardiomyopathy (HCM), a thickening of the wall of the heart that can actually be made worse by the strict training regimes top footballers undertake.
Here's all you need to know about HCM, and the other heart conditions that can affect apparently healthy young men.
HCM / hypertrophic cardiomyopathy
According to the British Heart Foundation (BHF), HCM might be one of the most common heart conditions in young men but that doesn't make it common. It affects 1 in 500 of the UK population. It's a genetic condition passed on through families - a child of someone with HCM has a 50% chance of inheriting the condition.
HCM affects your heart by thickening its muscular wall, and though the location and extent of the thickening varies, it means your heart finds it harder to pump blood to the rest of your body. This may barely affect normal day-to-day life, but when the heart is severely strained - during a football match, perhaps - it can have serious consequences.
But it doesn't have to. It could be that Fabrice Muamba has been unlucky, even for someone with HCM. Many people with the condition have no serious problems.
Unfortunately, it seems certain that Muamba had no symptoms that would have alerted the medical staff at Bolton or any of his previous clubs to a possible heart condition. People diagnosed with HCM are usually advised to give up competitive sports (though not exercise).
Some people do have symptoms, like shortness of breath, chest pain, palpitations and light-headedness, but these can usually be controlled with treatment. If you experience any of these, or have a close relative who has been diagnosed with HCM, see your doctor but don't be alarmed. Most people with symptoms like these don't have HCM, and with proper treatment most people who do have the condition can live normal lives.
It's true that a small number of people with HCM are at risk of developing an abnormal heart rhythm that can be life threatening. Tragically, Muamba may have been one, with his risk exacerbated by the strain of playing professional football. But with proper care most people won't suffer this potentially fatal development. HCM is a heart condition but by no means a death sentence.
Other conditions
HCM is one of a number of heart conditions that can affect younger people. For example, inherited heart rhythm disturbance is an umbrella term for a series of genetic conditions affecting the electrical impulses that make the heart beat normally.
The most common of these is called Long QT Syndrome (LQTS), which can cause fast, chaotic heartbeats. Sometimes LQTS can lead to fainting and young people with it have an increased risk of sudden death.
The good news is that LQTS only affects about 1 in 2,000 people. It can be controlled with drugs or - in more serious cases - sufferers may need a pacemaker or implantable cardioverter defibrillator (ICD) fitted. An ICD is a device that continually monitors your heartbeat and can deliver electrical shocks to make your heart beat normally again if a life-threatening disturbance occurs.
