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A retrospective analysis of American football hyperthermia deaths in the United States.
MedLine Citation:
PMID:  21161288     Owner:  NLM     Status:  Publisher    
Abstract/OtherAbstract:
Over the period 1980-2009, there were 58 documented hyperthermia deaths of American-style football players in the United States. This study examines the geography, timing, and meteorological conditions present during the onset of hyperthermia, using the most complete dataset available. Deaths are concentrated in the eastern quadrant of the United States and are most common during August. Over half the deaths occurred during morning practices when high humidity levels were common. The athletes were typically large (79% with a body mass index >30) and mostly (86%) played linemen positions. Meteorological conditions were atypically hot and humid by local standards on most days with fatalities. Further, all deaths occurred under conditions defined as high or extreme by the American College of Sports Medicine using the wet bulb globe temperature (WBGT), but under lower threat levels using the heat index (HI). Football-specific thresholds based on clothing (full football uniform, practice uniform, or shorts) were also examined. The thresholds matched well with data from athletes wearing practice uniforms but poorly for those in shorts only. Too few cases of athletes in full pads were available to draw any broad conclusions. We recommend that coaches carefully monitor players, particularly large linemen, early in the pre-season on days with wet bulb globe temperatures that are categorized as high or extreme. Also, as most of the deaths were among young athletes, longer acclimatization periods may be needed.
Authors:
Andrew J Grundstein; Craig Ramseyer; Fang Zhao; Jordan L Pesses; Pete Akers; Aneela Qureshi; Laura Becker; John A Knox; Myron Petro
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Publication Detail:
Type:  JOURNAL ARTICLE     Date:  2010-12-15
Journal Detail:
Title:  International journal of biometeorology     Volume:  -     ISSN:  1432-1254     ISO Abbreviation:  -     Publication Date:  2010 Dec 
Date Detail:
Created Date:  2010-12-16     Completed Date:  -     Revised Date:  -    
Medline Journal Info:
Nlm Unique ID:  0374716     Medline TA:  Int J Biometeorol     Country:  -    
Other Details:
Languages:  ENG     Pagination:  -     Citation Subset:  -    
Affiliation:
Department of Geography, University of Georgia, Room 204, 210 Field St, Athens, GA, 30602, USA, andrewg@uga.edu.
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