From the Mailbag: Pre-participation Screening

Last month at Endurance Corner we invited readers to submit their heart-health questions.  In today's column, I did the first periodic installment of From the Mailbag.  I answer Gavin's question about how to go about screening for heart conditions that might place athletes at risk for sudden cardiac death (SCD) during a triathlon.  I review information about causes of sports-related SCD and then describe a general approach to pre-participation screening for athletes.  This involves careful medical history-taking, physical examination, and judicious use of other diagnostic tests such as EKG, echocardiogram, or stress test.
Please drop me a line if you have a heart-health question that might serve as the basis for an upcoming From the Mailbag column.