Young athletes in Europe should be screened before competing in events to detect heart problems and reduce sport-related deaths, health experts said . A European Society of Cardiology report recommends a physical examination, a complete medical history and an electrocardiogram (ECG), which provides an electrical recording of the heart. The report, which is published in the European Heart Journal, estimates that an ECG could cut heart deaths linked to competitive sports in Europe by an estimated 50-70 percent. "We know very little about the risk of sudden death associated with exercise in young competitors, so the benefits versus the hazards of sports activity pose a clinical dilemma," said Dr Domenico Corrado, of the University of Padua, in Italy. Athletes train to be in top form but Corrado said an Italian study revealed that adolescents and young adults involved in competitive sports have a 2.5 times higher risk of sudden death. In Italy, sports-related sudden cardiac death occurs in approximately 2 per 100,000 athletes per year. Estimates for other European countries are not available. --More 2259 Local Time 1959 GMT
