can young healthy athletic men have heart attacks?

this is a sad case. i like to read bodybuilding message boards. about a week ago,there was a 22 year old australian bodybuilder who was found unresponsive and breathless in a sauna. he was rushed to a local hospital but could not be revived. the postmortem report said that he died from a massive heart attack. he was just 22 and had a clean bill of health and was very athletic. this is shocking. have any of you,especially in the cardiac department,had a case of young and healthy men who had MI's? this is something that has really stunned me.
Yep, in one word: cardiomyopathy

Anyone can have a heart attack, at any age.

I don't work Cardiac, but I have definitely heard about young pts being diagnosed with MIs. Many people with heart disease are asymptomatic, especially when they live a seemingly 'healthy' lifestyle. I work with stroke pts and I've admitted pts as young as 20s for CVAs.

you betcha! anything can happen... not to mention most people who either dabble or abuse stimulants (cocaine, speed, meth,etc) are going to deny it. Any one or a combo can cause an otherwise healthy person to have an MI.

It happens... there is actually a video on youtube of a professional soccer player that drops dead (cardiomyopathy) name was Miklos Feher... saddest video Ive ever seen

Young athletes--some still in junior high or high school--can die of arrythmias. There is something called long Q-T syndrome that can throw the heart into a serious arrhythmia. Only rapid defibrilation can help and sometimes even that is not enough. There are other cardiac anomalies that can take the lives of young people. I'm sure some of our cardiac folks can add to this discussion.So sad when it's someone that young.Are they certain there was no steroid or other drug use? Sometimes people hide a habit so well that even those close to them don't suspect.

In a word, Absolutely! It's tragic and very sad. Every year there are a number of young healthy high school athletes that literally drop dead on the football field or basketball court. Usually due to previously undiagnosed congenital cardiac abnormalities, but heart attacks nontheless.

Yes it can. I know from a family aspect, that a very healthy 22 yr old male- non drinker, non smoker, can have sudden cardiac arrest. Hopefully if it happens they are close to a big city hospital. I am in an extemely rural area and thank god it didnt happen here. Yes, even healthy young men can have cardiac issues..

Quote from demylenatedAnyone can have a heart attack, at any age.

Quote from oryxThis. My uncle suddenly died of coronary artery disease and although he wasn't as young as what you referred to (he was in his early 40s), he was athletic all his life. The coroner said that being athletic can mask the symptoms of heart disease.

Pairs skater Sergei Grinkov...two time Olympic gold medalist, dropped dead during ice show rehearsal. High school athletes, pro athletes.... also, the sauna could have caused some sort of autonomic response.

a friend of mine who is a body builder had a MI at 23 years old ( about 2 years ago) then just a couple months ago ripped his esophagus. both directly related to lifting. the MI was related to: he was on a "special diet" to bulk up for a competetion, that night he came home and indulged in a nice steak. since his body wasn't use to this he had diarrhea. and since his "special diet" did not include enough K+ (even though he was taking suppliments), he drained his body of K+, thus causing his MI. his heart now is only working at 40% ... and the idoit still conitnues to lift.then just a couple months ago a week before his wedding he ripped his esophagus from lifting. 2 weeks later he was bragging how he did a 600lb squat. i in returned asked his new wife "why do you keep letting him lift" ... she says to me "i just took out a life insurance policy since he won't stop" i think if he wouldn't go on these diets, (and i'm really not sure of what they consist of, his trainer puts him on them) it wouldn't be as bad. i know its a drastic diet.