Deaths during exercises rare, but deserve attention, says Bahrain Sports Cardiology Congress

TDT | Manama

The Daily Tribune – www.newsofbahrain.com

The Sports Cardiology Congress that concluded in Bahrain yesterday viewed deaths during exercises as “extremely rare” for it does not exceed one per 40,000 cases. Experts, however, said that despite its rarity, the phenomenon deserves attention and follow-up. “Many causes that may lead to death are avoidable through proper diagnosis, they said.

The Congress from December 2 to 4 discussed several topics related to sports medicine, where the main focus was on causes of death during exercise. Experts at the Congress, held in the region for the first time, also set objectives for the committee that specialised in studying the causes of deaths during exercises to find solutions to reduce them.

“Some of the causes of the deaths during exercise are due to lack of examinations before undertaking sports programmes and activities,” experts pointed out, adding, “perhaps the simplest of which is practising light sports, and neglecting some of the symptoms that the individual feels while practising sports.” “Pain in the chest area or difficulty in breathing may be a dangerous indicator that requires immediate attention.”

Participants also highlighted the need to create social awareness on the correct ways of doing exercise, maintaining heart health. The meeting also stressed to need to collect health data and information through questionnaires and a data analysis system.

“The outputs and results should be made available for developing health plan in Bahrain in the sports Cardiology sector in addition to strengthening the information base of the Supreme Council for Health, The Ministry of Health, hospitals, Government and private centres. These statistics, experts said, should also be published in international forums.