PART TWO CAUSES OF SPORTS INJURY AND EXERCISE HEALTH PROBLEMS

---

Other reported causes of sports injury and exercise health problems have included:

Idiopathic Left Ventricular Hypertrophy

Idiopathic hypertophy of the left ventricle of the heart. The left ventricle is the chamber that does the pumping of the freshly oxygenated blood into the aorta and through the body. Idiopathic is a fancy way of saying "we don't know why this is happening".

Congenital Coronary Artery Anomalies

Various anomalies of the coronary arteries, the arteries that supply the heart muscle itself.

Mitral Valve Prolapse

The mitral valve is the valve that separates the left atrium, the left upper chamber of the heart from the left ventricle the left lower chamber that does the heavy duty pumping of oxygenated blood into the body. In mitral valve prolapse, the two leaflets of the mitral valve of the heart don't quite close correctly and can sort of bend backwards and permit blood to flow back into the chamber it has just come from. Mitral valve prolapse is quite common. About 2% of the population have mitral valve prolapse. It is sometimes associated with panic attacks. Mitral valve prolapse is not often cited as a cause of sudden death.

Marfan's Syndrome: Abraham Lincoln May Have Had It

Abraham Lincoln seemed to have the tall gangly appearance characteristic of Marfan's Syndrome. It's been suggested that Lincoln may have had Marfan's Syndrome. The American Heart Association description of Marfan's Syndrome says that"the Marfan syndrome is a connective tissue disorder. Connective tissue provides substance and support to tendons, ligaments, blood vessel walls, cartilage, heart valves and many other structures. A blood pressure drug, losartan, is being investigated as a means of preventing damage to the aorta in people with Marfan's. The aorta is the large artery that carries blood away form the heart. (see link below) In the Marfan syndrome, the chemical makeup of the connective tissue isn't normal. As a result, many of these structures aren't as stiff as they should be. Connective tissue gets some of its strength from a protein called fibrillin 1. Fibrillin 1 also plays an important role in controlling the growth and development of the body. In Marfan syndrome, the body produces fibrillin 1 that does not work properly. As a result, the connective tissue is not as strong as it should be, and the growth and development of the body are affected.

Click for healty medical About a Study of Drug that may Protect People with Marfan.

site at Washington University School of Medicine About Marfan's Syndrome .

Watch this video outlining signs of Marfan Syndrome Click the arrow to start




Chris Patton was a University of Maryland basketball star who died during a pickup game in 1976, and Flo Hyman was an Olympic volleyball player who died at age 31 in 1986 both because of Marfan Syndrome related problems. The connective tissue problems of Marfan's may result in problems with the heart valves or a dissecting abdominal aorta. As you can read here Marfan Syndrome Often Goes Undiagnosed

Long QT Syndrome

The heart generates an electrical signal that propagates from the upper chambers (the atria) into the lower chambers (the ventricles) of the heart. When you look at an EKG the first, left most part of an individual cycle on an EKG is produced by the atria and the right part , the "qrst" reflects the activity of the ventricles. In long qt syndrome there is a prolonged interval of the signal in the ventricles. This is associated with heart arrhythmia.

Hyponatremia: Low Sodium in the Blood

Hyponatremia means a low concentration of sodium in the blood. Athletes such as runners who participate in a marathon are in danger of having their blood sodium concentration diluted because they may actually drink too many fluids.
Look at Hyponatremia a Concern for Marathon Runners.

Ruptured Aortic Aneurysm

Other Causes of Injury in Sports and Running Such as Heat Stroke and Asthma

Athletes with asthma have certainly performed at the highest levels of sports. This article Athletes with Asthma from the BBC mentions Mark Spitz and Jackie Joyner-Kersee among others. However, it is vital that asthma be diagnosed and treated successfully by an experienced physician and that the athlete be very familiar with asthma. See also

Sudden Death in Young Athletes and also A Review of Sudden Cardiac Death in Young Athletes and Strategies for Pre participation Cardiovascular Screening

Click here for Part One of CAUSES OF SPORTS INJURY AND EXERCISE HEALTH PROBLEMS