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Cardiology Mayo Clinic to provide cardiac screening to retired NFL before Super Bowl Sunday
Cardiology Mayo Clinic to provide cardiac screening to retired NFL before Super Bowl Sunday
Mayo Clinic to provide cardiac screening to retired NFL before Super Bowl Sunday
Monday, 29 November 1999 19:00 | 
| Specialties - Cardiology |
Mayo Clinic, the Living Heart Foundation and the National Football League Players Association have teamed up to provide retired NFL players comprehensive screenings for cardiovascular disease before the 2007 Super Bowl.
Mayo Clinic, the Living Heart Foundation and the National Football League Players Association have teamed up to provide retired NFL players comprehensive screenings for cardiovascular disease before the 2007 Super Bowl in Miami, Florida.
The screening is part of a national initiative to raise public awareness of the dangers of cardiovascular disease and also part of a study to determine whether NFL players have a greater risk of developing cardiovascular disease as a result of the physical demands of their job. Abnormally high body mass, prevalent among highly competitive football players, can result in serious medical disorders leading to high blood pressure, diabetes and stroke.
Recent medical research findings indicate that some retired NFL linemen also have persistent enlarged hearts, and that half of retired NFL linemen also have Metabolic Syndrome, a condition defined in part by hypertension, pre-diabetes and elevated cholesterol. Typically, linemen are required to maintain or increase their size and strength to ensure their competitive abilities - potentially exposing them to health issues later in life.
State of the art equipment donated by Siemens will be used to perform the screenings. Arthur Agatston, M.D., cardiologist, associate professor of medicine at University of Miami and author of The South Beach Diet will host the screening at the South Beach Diet headquarters. Health care personnel will conduct a series of tests, including an electrocardiogram, carotid and cardiac ultrasound, lung function study, body composition analysis, blood testing and sleep apnea testing. Data collected from the screening of the players will be forwarded to Mayo Clinic for analysis and that information will be compiled into the first-ever medically based report examining the rate of cardiovascular disease among professional football players.
"It is important that NFL players consider the impact their career has on their heart health. We're encouraged that they will participate in this important screening event," said Todd Hurst, M.D., principal investigator for this study from the Division of Cardiology at Mayo Clinic. "Regular screening for signs of heart disease is important for everyone.
The screening is part of a national initiative to raise public awareness of the dangers of cardiovascular disease and also part of a study to determine whether NFL players have a greater risk of developing cardiovascular disease as a result of the physical demands of their job. Abnormally high body mass, prevalent among highly competitive football players, can result in serious medical disorders leading to high blood pressure, diabetes and stroke.
Recent medical research findings indicate that some retired NFL linemen also have persistent enlarged hearts, and that half of retired NFL linemen also have Metabolic Syndrome, a condition defined in part by hypertension, pre-diabetes and elevated cholesterol. Typically, linemen are required to maintain or increase their size and strength to ensure their competitive abilities - potentially exposing them to health issues later in life.
State of the art equipment donated by Siemens will be used to perform the screenings. Arthur Agatston, M.D., cardiologist, associate professor of medicine at University of Miami and author of The South Beach Diet will host the screening at the South Beach Diet headquarters. Health care personnel will conduct a series of tests, including an electrocardiogram, carotid and cardiac ultrasound, lung function study, body composition analysis, blood testing and sleep apnea testing. Data collected from the screening of the players will be forwarded to Mayo Clinic for analysis and that information will be compiled into the first-ever medically based report examining the rate of cardiovascular disease among professional football players.
"It is important that NFL players consider the impact their career has on their heart health. We're encouraged that they will participate in this important screening event," said Todd Hurst, M.D., principal investigator for this study from the Division of Cardiology at Mayo Clinic. "Regular screening for signs of heart disease is important for everyone.
