Mayo Clinic hosts cardiac screening event for retired NFL players

Monday, June 05, 2006

SCOTTSDALE, Ariz. — Some 60 retired NFL players participated in comprehensive screening for cardiovascular disease at Mayo Clinic on Sunday, June 4, and Monday, June 5, all part of a national initiative by the Living Heart Foundation (LHF) and the National Football League Players Association (NFLPA) to raise awareness of potential heart disease related to body mass.

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 cholesterol issues.  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. 

At the screening, which took place at a Mayo Clinic outpatient facility in north Scottsdale, health care personnel conducted a series of tests, including an EKT, carotid and cardiac ultrasound, lung function study, body composition analysis, blood testing and sleep apnea testing. 

"We know that body mass is a major factor in heart disease, as we know that football players are often very large people," said Archie Roberts, M.D., a former NFL quarterback and cardiac surgeon who is the founder of the LHF.  Roberts said data collected from the screening of the players will be forwarded to Mayo Clinic for analysis and that the information will be compiled into the first-ever medically based report examining the rate of cardiovascular disease among professional football players. 

"We're encouraged that these NFL players took the time to consider their health and participated in this important screening event," said Bijoy K. Khandheria, M.D., chair of the Division of Cardiology at Mayo Clinic.  "Regular screening for indicators of coronary artery disease is important for everyone."

Mayo Clinic is a private group practice of medicine dedicated to providing diagnosis and treatment of patient illnesses through a systematic focus on individual patient needs. As a leading academic medical center in the Southwest, Mayo Clinic focuses on providing specialty and surgical care in more than 65 disciplines at its outpatient facility in north Scottsdale and at Mayo Clinic Hospital. The 208-licensed bed hospital is located at 56th Street and Mayo Boulevard (north of Bell Road) in northeast Phoenix, and provides inpatient care to support the medical and surgical specialties of the clinic, which is located at 134th Street and Shea Boulevard in Scottsdale.

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