Cardiovascular diseases are the most important causes of death in the world today. In adults, the most frequent heart disease is acute myocardial infarction, which can lead to sudden death. To prevent these diseases we need to fight against their main risk factors, which include smoking, lipid disorders, hypertension, diabetes and a sedentary life-style, among others. It has been demonstrated that physical exercise or sports at any age provide notable benefits and can help to decrease other risk factors and reduce the incidence of cardio vascular diseases. Exercise can be simply walking or cycling. Aerobic exercise con tributes to weight loss and also helps to control blood pressure, cholesterol and diabetes. It therefore plays an important role in prevention of heart diseases. Sports for young people are of great value and advisable not only because they con tribute to physical fitness but also because they help in psychological well-being. Young people should be encouraged to include general exercise, and particularly sports, into their daily activities. The following points however, should be kept in mind: I. Although winning at a sport is important, this is only so if it is achieved in natural physical conditions and with the correct training. Therefore, it is advisable to keep well away from any type of activity which artificially increases physical performance, that is, drug taking.
Reviews
`This excellent short compilation speaks to the identification and management of potentially fatal cardiac problems that face athletes as well as practicing physicians, nurses, physician's assistant, and public health, school, university, and professional team administrators who are involved in sports medicine. Pertinent literature is well summarized. ...this book, with its many common-sense views and precise recommendations, is a "must have" for all those seriously involved in sports medicine.'New England Journal of Medicine, 344:7 (2001)
Editors and Affiliations
Institut Catala Cardiologia-Hosp., Sant Pau, Barcelona, Spain
A. Bayés Luna
Istituto Scientifico H. S. Raffaele, Milan-Rome, Italy
F. Furlanello
Minneapolis Heart Institute Foundation, Minneapolis, USA
B. J. Maron
Krannert Institute of Cardiology, Indiana University School of Medicine and the Roudebush Veterans Administration Medical Center, Indianapolis, USA
D. P. Zipes
Bibliographic Information
Book Title: Arrhythmias and Sudden Death in Athletes
Editors: A. Bayés Luna, F. Furlanello, B. J. Maron, D. P. Zipes
