Even Elite Athletes May Have Heart Abnormalities

Even the best athletes in the world can have potentially fatal heart defects.

"We cannot take it for granted that elite athletes are healthy," said Dr. Paulo Emilio Adami, of the Institute of Sport Medicine and Science of the Italian Olympic Committee in Rome.

Adami and his colleagues examined data from more than 2,300 elite athletes who underwent heart health assessments between 2002 and 2014 as part of their screening to compete in Winter and Summer Olympic Games.

"Even Olympic athletes, regardless of their superior physical performance and astonishing achievements, showed an unexpected large prevalence of cardiovascular abnormalities, including life-threatening conditions," Adami said.

The analysis revealed that 171 athletes (about seven percent) had some form of structural or electrical heart abnormality. In six of them, the heart defect was considered life-threatening and they were not allowed to compete.

Another 24 athletes were temporarily suspended but eventually allowed to compete in the Olympics under close medical supervision, according to the study.

"This study demonstrates that a more accurate assessment is necessary for elite professional athletes than for members of the general population, in view of the intensity and stress on their cardiovascular system through so many hours of training and competition," Adami said in a society news release.

As a general rule, anyone not just world-renowned athletes who wants to be involved in competitive sports or even make sudden changes to a workout routine should have a medical evaluation.