I'm not trying to be disrespectful or stir the pot about drug use, but has the cause of death for Jesse Marunde been found or revealed?
thanks.
that's a bummer. As far as I know it's a genetic condition and nothing can be done about it other than avoiding strenuous exercise.
A friend of my mom's had a 13 year old son die of this, right after finishing a run. He was a dedicated cross-country runner.
Of course I am sure many people will attempt to link it to drug use...
my housemate got stripped of his boxing licence as his doctor found he had an enlarged heart & the docs 9 yr old niece dropped dead from it
HCM is a pretty serious problem in athletes.
It affects everyone from runners, to football players to swimmers.
In fact Italy has a requirement that all of it's Olympic athletes to through a series of tests that included an ECG and if you have HCM you can no longer compete per Italian law.
There is a good article about this in this month's issue of Men's Health.
Plus there is a short article by Dan John on Goblet Squats so pick it up.
What Symptoms Does Hypertrophic Cardiomyopathy Cause?
There is no particular symptom or complaint which is unique to Hypertrophic Cardiomyopathy. Symptoms may occur at any stage in a person's life even though the condition may have been present for some time. The reason for the onset of symptoms is often not clear.
Shortness of Breath
Exercise capacity may be limited by breathlessness and fatigue. Most individuals experience only mild exercise limitations, but occasionally limitation is severe and a minority may have shortness of breath at rest.
Chest Pain
Chest pain is a common symptom. It is usually brought on by exertion and relieved by rest, but pain may occur at rest or during sleep and may persist. The cause of the pain is thought to be insufficient oxygen supply to the myocardium. In Hypertrophic Cardiomyopathy the main coronary arteries are usually normal, but the greatly thickened muscle demands an increased oxygen supply which cannot be met in some circumstances.
Palpitation
Palpitation is an uncomfortable awareness of the heart beat. People may occasionally feel an extra beat or a skipped beat and this is usually normal. Sometimes an awareness of the heart beating does suggest an irregular heart rhythm. In this case, palpitation may start suddenly, appear to be very fast and may be associated with sweating or light-headedness. The cause of such episodes should be determined and treated.
Palpitation is an uncomfortable awareness of the heart beat. People may occasionally feel an extra beat or a skipped beat and this is usually normal. Sometimes an awareness of the heart beating does suggest an irregular heart rhythm. In this case, palpitation may start suddenly, appear to be very fast and may be associated with sweating or light-headedness. The cause of such episodes should be determined and treated.
Light-Headedness and Blackouts
Persons with the condition may experience light-headedness, dizziness and more seriously, blackouts. Episodes may occur in association with exercise, with palpitations or without any apparent provocation. The reasons for these episodes are not always clear. They may be due to an irregularity of the heart beat, or fall in blood pressure. Episodes of light-headedness and certainly a blackout should be reported to one's doctor and investigated.
Most commonly seen "misdiagnosis" associated with HCM?
Most commonly seen is asthma, specifically ‘athletically induced asthma” as a first sign or symptom. This is likely due to transient shortness of breath often seen in HCM. It is also common to have a diagnosis of “mitral valve prolapse” prior to a proper diagnosis of HCM. This often happens upon an audible murmur that is thought to be simply mitral valve prolapse a common condition. It is not uncommon to see people diagnosed with anxiety attacks, panic attacks or some forms of depression only to find that the underlying cause of the symptoms is HCM.
So it was a genetic thing?
Rare as in how rare? I would say "rare" to not scare sheep from stopping triathlete lifestyles or endurance training lifestyles.
Most of the cases that I have been exposed to concerning HCM have been more endurance athletes of varying ages and ethnicities. A handful of the endurance players being marathoners, a good number of paddlers (long distance and sprint), as well as cyclists and even race walkers. There are however explosive athletes like Marunde, but not as much have been reported.
The concern here is that HCM has been called "rare" and "genetic". It's not limited those areas. What about other deaths not occurring during activity? How about unreported MCIs or incidences? HCM happens more than "rare". From experience, healthcare costs are expensive to monitor ourselves for this condition. An annual physical doesn't cover this, well not for the average paid person.
I am not sure if anyone already mentioned this, but activity management is important. While conditioning is about managing fatigue, there is the other side of the coin- managing activity.
Well, I think cases with athletes simply stand out more, and there are far more people who compete in triathlons and other endurance events than in strongman events or powerlifting.
Am I correct in assuming that in the case of most young people who suddenly drop dead--assuming there are no other obvious risk factors--an autopsy would usually be performed? Wouldn't that tend to take note of issues like an enlarged heart? If so, why assume that non-exercise related HCM deaths are overlooked?