The loss of Flames prospect and Windsor Spitfires captain Mickey Renaud is still so tragic, and not just because it hits so close to home. We found out today that Mickey suffered from a heart condition by the name of hypertrophic cardiomyopathy, which was deemed as the cause of his death.

This remains tragic, however, there is an opportunity for Mickey’s death to save the lives of others. The affliction of hypertrophic cardiomyopathy, or HCM, is the leading cause of sudden death among athletes. It affected 600 thousand Americans last year, resulting in 6000 deaths. Much is known about HCM in the medical world, but it is not so commonly known in the mainstream world. And while it is not a common condition (about 2.5% of the population), it is something that effects athletes much more adversely than others.

A lot of credit for opening my eyes, and the eyes of others, has to go to Sports Illustrated’s David Epstein, who has written a number of articles on the subject. This is a heart condition, but is different from other heart conditions. Things like diabetes or high blood pressure are remedied, or at least helped out by, excercise. This is not the case, and in fact the polar opposite, of HCM. And so, while the condition isn’t overly common, it is much more deadly among athletes, where cardiovascular exertion is typical and regular. At least every 2 weeks, an athlete with HCM will die during or immediately after exertion (http://sportsillustrated.cnn.com/2007/more/12/04/broken.hearts1210/index.html).

So, a little research can save lives in this respect…hopefully the tragedy of Mickey will help parents of athletes, and the athletes themselves, become more aware to this. It’s a shame this isn’t something coaches and teachers etc are made aware of by the medical profession when it comes to young athletes. All it takes is a simple electrocardiogram (ECG) to make sure this isn’t an affliction that will affect you or a loved one. And if it does, you’re going to be able to catch it in time, much like what happened with David Carle, the younger brother of Tampa Bay’s Matt. He can no longer play the game he loves, which is unfortunate, but the potential, most likely eventual, outcome otherwise is much more unfortunate.

I just hope that the loss of Mickey Renaud doesn’t go forgotten. It’s so sad, but by remembering players like Mickey and others who have their lost their lives from HCM, we might move closer to a time where that alarming stat of once every 2 weeks is pared down significantly. So if you’ve got a son or daughter involved in athletics, it might not be a bad idea to think about the ECG. Dave Carle is glad he did, and sadly, his story is one of the few positive ones associated with HCM.

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