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 June
2007 - UK
charity Cardiac Risk in the Young (CRY) is launching the Save Our
Athletes Research Project, a 5 year inclusive athlete cardiac research
study lead by CRY, involving data from the USA and Germany.
By
concentrating on all elite athletes, CRY will be able to gain a broader
understanding of the effects of heavy and light exercise on the heart.
Launching
the campaign are athletes from all over the UK including; Rob Hayles
– 3 times Olympic medal holder (cycling); Karen Pickering -
Britain’s most decorated female swimmer; and Mark Foster – double
Commonwealth swimming champion. They will be amongst the first athletes
to have their hearts screened by CRY experts at the
Waterfront Leisure Centre, London.
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Sir
Ian Botham OBE,
President of the CRY Centre for Sports Cardiology, comments: “We
want anyone who participates in sport to have heart screening,
just as they do in Italy. The Save Our Athletes screening
program is a giant step towards that, because of the empirical
evidence it will provide. We must stop the terrible tragedies of
young people involved in sport dying needlessly.”
Professional sports people know that to reach peak performance,
they need to understand their body inside and out. For elite
athletes in high profile sports, heart screening is a
fundamental part of training, but due to the costs access is not
universal. Athletes in sports with lower profiles, who represent
our sporting future, are left vulnerable to Sudden Death
Syndrome.
Exercise is associated with a 10 fold increase in the incidence
of heart problems, yet a simple cardiac scan followed by
professional examination of the data can highlight symptoms
that, if left unmanaged, can lead to sudden death in healthy
young athletes and fitness enthusiasts. |
Statistics and Facts |
 The screening programme will be led by
Professor Greg Whyte - Chairman of CRY and Professor of Applied
Sport & Exercise Science at Liverpool John Moores University; working in
tandem with consultant cardiologist Dr Sanjay Sharma - Director of Heart
Muscle Disease at Kings College Hospital, London.
In the first two years CRY will screen 1500 elite athletes using the
latest cardiac imaging technology from Philips, at centres across the
UK, including
the Centre for Sports Cardiology at the Olympic Medical Institute,
London.
Professor Whyte comments: “The Save Our Athletes project will be world
leading, enabling CRY to
research
the role of cardiovascular screening,
allowing us to fully
identify
disorders capable of causing sudden cardiac death.”
He
continues, “Everyone is potentially at risk and the only
accurate means of diagnosis is through expert cardiovascular assessment.
The next five years will be seminal to our understanding of which people
are most vulnerable to sudden death during exercise.”
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Since it was established in May 1995 to raise awareness of
Sudden Death Syndrome, CRY
has been campaigning and lobbying to raise awareness of
the condition. CRY also works to provide counselling support to
bereaved families and any individuals who have been diagnosed.
Alison Cox, CRY Chief Executive and Founder, was awarded an MBE
in 2007 for services to healthcare pertinent to the tireless
work of the charity’s team and CRY’s supporters from all over
the UK. Ms Cox comments: “CRY was established with the
screening of athletes for the Lawn Tennis Association (LTA).
Today we work to support anyone and everyone affected by the
circumstances of sudden death. The Save Our Athletes research
will help us further our campaign for change, and reduce the
terrible roll-call of tragedy of young sudden cardiac death."
The
symptoms of heart conditions can be very deceptive, especially
to people who have always been able to push themselves to the
limit. Often people relate pains to over exertion, or a drop in
power to ‘an off day’, but sometimes these are the body's
warning signs of heart conditions. For anyone who has worries
about their heart health, CRY has developed a Fitness Checklist
(right). |
Fitness Checklist |
About CRY
CRY was set up in 1995 to raise public awareness of and provide
information on SADS in people aged 35 and under. Crucially, it offers
subsidised ECG testing to young people and is currently campaigning to
introduce routine screening for teenagers in secondary schools, to
eliminate such causes of sudden death.
CRY offers
regular heart screenings in Harrow at the CRY Centre for Sports
Cardiology and at clinics in Northern Ireland and Colchester. They also
have a mobile unit that visits sports clubs, schools and local
communities, and there are other supporting clinics nationwide.
Appointments can be booked via the website (call
01737 363 222 or visit
www.c-r-y.org.uk/ecg.htm).
About Royal Philips Electronics
Royal Philips Electronics of the Netherlands (NYSE: PHG, AEX: PHI) is a
global leader in healthcare, lifestyle and technology, delivering
products, services and solutions through the brand promise of “sense and
simplicity”. Headquartered in the Netherlands, Philips employs
approximately 125,800 employees in more than 60 countries worldwide.
With sales of EUR 27 billion in 2006, the company is a market leader in
medical diagnostic imaging and patient monitoring systems, energy
efficient lighting solutions, personal care and home appliances, as well
as consumer electronics. News from Philips is located at
www.philips.com/newscenter
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