Triggers for sudden cardiac death in the athlete.

Sudden death on the athletic field is usually due to underlying cardiovascular disease. Coronary artery disease is most common in older athletes, and a variety of congenital cardiovascular malformations predominate in young competitive athletes. Of these lesions, the most common in North America is hypertrophic cardiomyopathy. A variety of coronary artery anomalies are next in frequency, with the most important being anomalous origin of left main coronary artery from the anterior sinus of Valsalva.