Epidemiology of Sudden Death in Organized Youth Sports in the United States, 2007–2015

Context Sudden death in sport at the high school and collegiate levels has been described extensively in the literature. However, few epidemiologic data exist on the incidence of sudden death specifically in American youth sport before secondary school athletics. Objective To describe the epidemiology of sudden death in organized youth sports in the United States from 2007–2015. Design Descriptive epidemiology study. Setting Organized American youth sports. Patients or Other Participants Cases of sudden death that occurred in youth athletes 17 years of age and younger in non-high school organized sports were included. Data Collection and Analysis Information on sudden deaths between August 1, 2007, and December 31, 2015, was obtained via LexisNexis and other publicly available news or media reports. Total youth sport participation rates from 2007 to 2015 were provided by the Sport & Fitness Industry Association. Athlete age, sex, event type, sport, date of death, and speculated cause of death were examine...