Prevalence and significance of sleep disordered breathing in adolescent athletes

Extract

Sudden cardiac death in a young athlete is a tragic event, and emerging data suggest that the leading finding associated with sudden cardiac death in athletes is autopsy-negative sudden unexplained death [1]. Sleep disordered breathing (SDB) can be arrhythmogenic and lead to sudden cardiac death [2, 3]. While obstructive sleep apnoea is generally prevalent in obese, inactive and/or aged subjects [4], little is known about its incidence in young athletes and highly active young people. Consequently, the impact of SDB on cardiovascular health of young athletes has not been fully elucidated. Athletes who participate in collision sports such as rugby and American football tend to exhibit risk factors for SDB such as large neck circumference and higher body mass index [5]. In this context, we investigated the prevalence and significance of SDB in young competitive athletes with a view to advancing the research conducted on athlete health.