Consensus Statement of Multisocietary Task Force--prescription of physical exercise in the cardiological environment (third part)

he rationale for offering an expert consensus document concerning the participation in competitive sports by individuals with cardiovascular (CV) disease is based on the widely accepted clinical perception, substantiated by scientific evidence,1 that athletes with underlying (even clinically silent) CV disease have an increased risk for sudden cardiac death (SCD) or clinical deterioration in comparison with normal individuals, by virtue of their regular exercise training and sports participation. Therefore, the aim of the present recommendations is to provide careful guidelines to physicians and consultant cardiologists regarding the evaluation of athletes with CV abnormalities and to suggest sports activities that can be safely performed. These recommendations assume that the cardiac diagnosis has already been made, so that the issues directly related to screening for CV disease2 are beyond the scope of this document.