Sudden death.

Sudden death in athletes is a tragic, but fortunately infrequent, event. In young athletes (30 years old and younger) structural cardiovascular disease, often congenital, is usually responsible. Athletes over 30 years old who die suddenly are most frequently found to have severe atherosclerotic coronary artery disease. This article discusses the type of cardiovascular diseases underlying sudden death in athletes and approaches to preventing these tragedies.