LONDON (ENGLAND) (ITALPRESS) – A medical and scientific symposium entitled “Italy and UK pre-participation screening program from elite to amateur: a common effort to prevent sudden cardiac death in the young.” This is the one that took place at the Embassy of Italy in London, co-organized with the Federazione Medico Sportiva Italiana (FMSI), with the direct collaboration of Lord Polak, Member of the House of Lords, which saw Italian and British cardiologists and sports physicians discuss the topic of screening programs for the risk of sudden cardiac death in young athletes, starting from the experience of the Italian model of Sports Medicine. “This event testifies to the value of the Italian model of Sports Medicine recognized worldwide. Italy is the only country to have national laws for the certification of fitness to practice sports and, in the case of competitive sports, it is issued exclusively by the specialist in sports medicine, who assesses the specific sports risk in competition and training. Alongside laws regarding the health of those practicing sports, Italy boasts specific guidelines developed by the Italian Sports Medicine Federation, the only Scientific Society of Sports Medicine in Italy, in collaboration with cardiology societies,” stresses FMSI President Maurizio Casasco. “As research published in Jama shows, the introduction of the Italian screening model,” Casasco adds, “has allowed a reduction of sudden sports-related deaths (MIS) by 89 percent compared to the general population, with a curve that even falls below those who do no activity, so much so that today MIS in our country compared to the rest of the world is in a ratio of 1 to 1.5 million versus 1 to 100,000. The Italian model becomes important today more than ever, given the globally recognized value of sports activity for primary, secondary and tertiary prevention in the fight against the main noncommunicable diseases (cardiovascular, neurodegenerative, oncological, metabolic, etc.) and whose prescription requires specific expertise.”The certification of fitness to practice sports is of great value in terms of prevention because,” Casasco explains, “it makes it possible to identify potential risk factors or minor pathologies, even if they do not contraindicate the practice of sports, but whose timely diagnosis leads to clear benefits for the individual’s health status and quality of life and consequent savings for the National Health Service and the insurance system. “The Symposium is part of the Memorandum of Understanding of bilateral collaboration signed by Italy and the United Kingdom in 2023 and which encourages dialogue between medical personnel of the two countries. “I am a great believer in the value of scientific diplomacy, all the more so when, like today, it has such a noble purpose as saving more lives among young athletes. I am therefore proud that the Embassy in London has actively contributed to organizing this fruitful exchange of experiences between luminaries of cardiology and sports medicine, and to the enhancement of the Italian screening model-another of our many excellences worldwide,” highlighted Ambassador Inigo Lambertini.- photo uff stampa FMSI -(ITALPRESS).
