[Myocardial infarction related to the practice of sports. clinical and coronary angiography apropos of 35 cases].

The clinical and coronary angiographic features of 35 patients who survived the acute phase of a myocardial infarction that occurred while they were practising sports were studied. 97 p. 100 of the patients were male. Mean age was 42.8 years (range 26-71 years), 60 p. 100 being over 40. All but 2 patients had risk factors, the most important of which were tobacco smoking (constant among young subjects) and high blood cholesterol level. In 1/3 of the cases the infarction was preceded by symptoms. 69 p. 100 of the patients were correctly trained. IN 46 p. 100 of the patients the signs of infarction appeared at the end of the physical exertion. Thirteen sports were concerned, notably football (9), tennis (7), cycling (5) and running (5). Contributing factors associated with the way physical exercise was performed with the environment or with the subject's general condition were often present. During a mean follow-up period of 25.3 months, 2 patients were lost sight of and 2 died, one of them of cardiac disease; 71 p. 100 remained asymptomatic. All patients underwent coronary angiography which showed coronary thrombosis in 60 p. 100 of the cases (100 p. 100 when angiography was performed at a very early stage and 33 p. 100 when it was performed more than 15 days after the infarction). One single vessel was involved in 40 p. 100 of the cases and several vessels in 34 p. 100. Angiography yielded normal results in 26 p. 100 of the patients, all of them aged less than 45 years.(ABSTRACT TRUNCATED AT 250 WORDS)