Elite athletes may be in great shape and able to sprint, lift and play at the highest levels of their sport, but a shock study shows they are at greater risk of fatal cardiovascular complications.
There have been a series of high-profile heartbreaks among top athletes, such as Lebron James’ basketball star son Bronny James at 18 and Hall-of-Famer Boston Celtics player Reggie Lewis.
Both suffered cardiac arrest while practicing their sport, with the latter dying at the age of 27.
Events like these come as a shock as people wonder how elite athletes suffer from a medical event linked to poor nutrition, obesity and a host of other bad comorbidities.
And in the wake of the Covid-19 pandemic, some believe vaccines played a role, while others say the virus itself could be to blame.
But now scientists believe they have discovered a possible explanation for why people in the best shape of their lives suffer from heart disease: hypertension, or high blood pressure.
Lebron James’ basketball star son Bronny James suffered cardiac arrest while playing basketball in 2023
Present findings At the American College of Cardiology’s Care of the Athletic Heart conference, a researcher from the University of Los Angeles Medical Center found that nearly half of athletes suffered from elevated blood pressure – with multi-sport athletes and basketball players at the greatest risk.
Among the general population in the US, approximately 47 percent of people have high blood pressure.
But athletes who are much younger than the average hypertension patient still suffer from the condition.
Author of the summary Dr. Aneeq Malik, medical director of the Saving Hearts Foundation, said: ‘Despite being seen as a generally healthy population, young athletes are not immune to heart disease, including elevated blood pressure.’
Researchers looked at 1,200 young athletes who were between the ages of 10 and 31 and were involved in a community-based athlete screening program in the Los Angeles area.
The majority of participants were men (60 percent) and women 40 percent.
The results showed that 21 percent of athletes were diagnosed with prehypertension, 13 percent were diagnosed with stage one hypertension, and eight percent were diagnosed with stage two hypertension.
The researchers attributed high blood pressure in athletes to the training they undergo, such as certain cardio exercises to improve endurance and speed or heavy weight lifting to build the key muscles used in games.
A difference in diets to maintain peak performance may also play a role, with different calorie, fat and protein ratios consumed by different players.
Hall-of-fame Boston Celtics basketball player Reggie Lewis suffered cardiac arrest while playing basketball in 1993 and died at just 27
Additionally, the difference in physical size of athletes, such as extreme height in basketball players or heavier weight in certain football players, can also contribute.
In the case of hypertension, size matters because blood has to travel further in people who are physically larger, increasing the hardness of the heart.
Blood pressure is measured in two digits in millimeters of mercury (mm Hg). The first number represents the pressure caused by the heart beating and pushing blood through the arteries, and the second number is the pressure in the arteries as the heart relaxes between beats.
A healthy blood pressure for most adults is 90 to 120/60 to 80 mm Hg.
Prehypertension is 120 to 129/less than 80. Stage one is 130 to 139/80 to 89 mm Hg and stage two is more than 140/more than 90.
When someone has a blood pressure higher than 120/80 mmHg, their heart is in “overdrive,” according to the American College of Cardiology. This forces the organ to work harder to pump blood throughout the body.
Over time, high blood pressure can weaken the heart and blood vessels, causing cardiovascular disease, including sudden cardiac arrest.
Male athletes in the study were more likely than females to have stage one or two hypertension, and athletes who participated in multiple sports had the highest prevalence, at about a quarter.
Basketball players and football players were nearly tied for the second highest number of cases, about one in four.
Based on the findings, Dr. Malik said: ‘The study highlights the importance of recognizing and addressing elevated blood pressure in young athletes… The findings emphasize that screening for hypertension should be a routine part of sports physicals and that confirmatory testing necessary to accurately diagnose the condition.’
This study confirmed previous findings showing that exercise with higher levels of static exercise – which increases tension in the muscles – was associated with higher blood pressure.
Both basketball and football involve moderate levels of this type of physical activity.
A 2016 study published in a cardiovascular journal, it has been found that sudden cardiac death is the most common cause of sudden death in athletes. Although figures vary widely, one estimate puts the incidence of sudden cardiac death in this population at one in 40,000 to one in 80,000 per year.
In addition, Dr. Muhammad Aftab, a cardiac surgeon who separately investigated the case, estimates that sudden cardiac arrest is responsible for 75 percent of deaths during sports.
To prevent potentially fatal hypertensive events, Dr. Malik said it is important to educate young athletes and their families about the condition and what lifestyle changes they can make to reduce their risk, including dietary changes, healthy sleeping habits, managing stress and using certain supplements.