Cardiovascular diseases are the most important causes of death in the world today. In adults, the most frequent heart disease is acute myocardial infarction, which can lead to sudden death. To prevent these diseases we need to fight against their main risk factors, which include smoking, lipid disorders, hypertension, diabetes and a sedentary life-style, among others. It has been demonstrated that physical exercise or sports at any age provide notable benefits and can help to decrease other risk factors and reduce the incidence of cardio vascular diseases. Exercise can be simply walking or cycling. Aerobic exercise con tributes to weight loss and also helps to control blood pressure, cholesterol and diabetes. It therefore plays an important role in prevention of heart diseases. Sports for young people are of great value and advisable not only because they con tribute to physical fitness but also because they help in psychological well-being. Young people should be encouraged to include general exercise, and particularly sports, into their daily activities. The following points however, should be kept in mind: I. Although winning at a sport is important, this is only so if it is achieved in natural physical conditions and with the correct training. Therefore, it is advisable to keep well away from any type of activity which artificially increases physical performance, that is, drug taking."

Cardiovascular diseases are the most important causes of death in the world today. In adults, the most frequent heart disease is acute myocardial infarction, which can lead to sudden death. To prevent these diseases we need to fight against their main risk factors, which include smoking, lipid disorders, hypertension, diabetes and a sedentary life-style, among others. It has been demonstrated that physical exercise or sports at any age provide notable benefits and can help to decrease other risk factors and reduce the incidence of cardio vascular diseases. Exercise can be simply walking or cycling. Aerobic exercise con tributes to weight loss and also helps to control blood pressure, cholesterol and diabetes. It therefore plays an important role in prevention of heart diseases. Sports for young people are of great value and advisable not only because they con tribute to physical fitness but also because they help in psychological well-being. Young people should be encouraged to include general exercise, and particularly sports, into their daily activities. The following points however, should be kept in mind: I. Although winning at a sport is important, this is only so if it is achieved in natural physical conditions and with the correct training. Therefore, it is advisable to keep well away from any type of activity which artificially increases physical performance, that is, drug taking."

Diagnosis and Management of Hypertrophic Cardiomyopathy is a unique, multi-authored compendium of information regarding the complexities of clinical and genetic diagnosis, natural history, and management of hypertrophic cardiomyopathy (HCM)--the most common and important of the genetic cardiovascular diseases--as well as related issues impacting the health of trained athletes.

Edited by Dr. Barry J. Maron, a world authority on HCM, and with major contributions from all of the international experts in this field, this book provides a single comprehensive source of information concerning HCM. Recent advances in the field are discussed, including the importance of left ventricular outflow tract obstruction, the use of implantable defibrillators for the prevention of sudden death in young people, definition of the genetic basis for HCM and its role in clinical diagnosis and risk stratification, the development of more precise strategies for assessing the level of risk for sudden death among all patients with HCM, and the evolution of invasive interventions for heart failure symptoms, such as surgical management and its alternatives (alcohol septal ablation and dual-chamber pacing).

Key Features:

Contributions from "all "experts in the field, representing diverse viewpoints regarding this heterogeneous disease and related issues in athletes
Information to dispel misunderstandings regarding issues associated with HCM and cardiovascular disease in athletes
The only comprehensive source of information available on the topic