Comparatively little is known about the risk of sudden death associated with exercise in young competitive athletes, and whether the benefits of sports activity outweigh the hazards of exercise-related fatal events is a clinical dilemma. This is only a small part of the story, however, as there are considerable effects of exercise whether it be at a competitive level or on a ‘leisure’ level on patients of all ages. This in itself is of massive importance to the cardiac patient population as exercise is a key component of effective recovery and recommended as central in the prevention of much cardiac disease.

A sports cardiologist evaluates affected athletes and suggests the most appropriate treatment options that may allow them to stay active in sports. This issue will discuss the following topics: Cardiovascular Adaptation and Remodeling to Rigorous Athletic Training, The Historical Perspective of Athletic Sudden Death, The ECG in Elite Athletes, The Management of Athletes with Congenital Heart Disease, Genetic testing in athletesThe Impact of Sports Cardiology on the Practice of Sports Medicine and many more!

Chapter 8 Cardiovascular Screening for the Prevention of Sudden Cardiac Death in AthletesIntroduction; The Risk of Sudden Death in Athletes; Rationale for Screening Competitive Athletes; The Screening Programmes Implemented in Italy; Rationale for Including a 12-Lead ECG in the PPE ; Efficacy of Screening to Identify Cardiac Disease Risk; Impact of the Screening Programme on Cardiac Mortality; Costs of Systematic Screening across Italy; Limitations of Screening Programmes; Conclusion; References

In this issue of Clinics in Sports Medicine, guest editor Dr. Peter Dean brings his considerable expertise to the topic of Sports Cardiology. Top experts in the field cover key topics such as the importance of surrounding the athlete with a "team;" pre-participation evaluation of the athlete; risk and causes of sudden death in athletes; non-cardiac diseases that mimic cardiac symptoms in young athletes; incorporating new heart rate monitors, wearables, and watches into sports cardiology practice; and more. Contains 12 relevant, practice-oriented topics including differentiating between pathologic heart disease and an "athletic heart;" exercise stress testing in the athlete; myocarditis/COVID-19 and the athlete; sports participation and physical activity in patients with hypertrophic cardiomyopathy; sports participation and physical activity in patients with inherited arrhythmias and atrial fibrillation; and more. Provides in-depth clinical reviews on sports cardiology, offering actionable insights for clinical practice. Presents the latest information on this timely, focused topic under the leadership of experienced editors in the field. Authors synthesize and distill the latest research and practice guidelines to create clinically significant, topic-based reviews.

In this issue of Clinics in Sports Medicine, guest editor Dr. Peter Dean brings his considerable expertise to the topic of Sports Cardiology. Top experts in the field cover key topics such as the importance of surrounding the athlete with a "team;" pre-participation evaluation of the athlete; risk and causes of sudden death in athletes; non-cardiac diseases that mimic cardiac symptoms in young athletes; incorporating new heart rate monitors, wearables, and watches into sports cardiology practice; and more. Contains 12 relevant, practice-oriented topics including differentiating between pathologic heart disease and an "athletic heart;" exercise stress testing in the athlete; myocarditis/COVID-19 and the athlete; sports participation and physical activity in patients with hypertrophic cardiomyopathy; sports participation and physical activity in patients with inherited arrhythmias and atrial fibrillation; and more. Provides in-depth clinical reviews on sports cardiology, offering actionable insights for clinical practice. Presents the latest information on this timely, focused topic under the leadership of experienced editors in the field. Authors synthesize and distill the latest research and practice guidelines to create clinically significant, topic-based reviews.

Participation in athletics at both the recreational and competitive levels has grown enormously over the last decade, and now involves a substantial segment of the population of many countries, particularly those in Europe and North America. This change in the life-style of many individuals has been accompanied by the desire and necessity on the part of physicians to define the consequences of chronic athletic training and competition to the participant. Coincident with the of public interest in sporting competition has been the evolution and growth development of new non-invasive technologies in cardiology (such as M-mode and two-dimensional echocardiography and radionuclide angiography) which have permitted investigators to study directly and more precisely the morphology and function of the heart and cardiovascular system. Hence, over the past several years our knowledge has been greatly enhanced with regard to the features of the normal 'athlete heart' and the relationship of athletic conditioning to preexistent cardiovascular disease, as well as the causes of sudden death in athletes. The present treatise on 'Sports cardiology: Exercise in Health and Cardio vascular Disease' is an impressive reference document which is also timely. It fulfills an important role in summarizing most of the available data that has been accumulated over the last 10 years in a large number of athletes participating in a variety of different sports. Drs. I. Bekaert and R.