Danish midfielder Christian Eriksen’s second on-pitch collapse in as many major tournaments has underscored the persistent threat posed by undiagnosed cardiac conditions, the chief executive of the charity Cardiac Risk in the Young (CRY) has said, warning that every week at least a dozen apparently fit young people in the UK die suddenly from heart problems they never knew they had.
Eriksen, 34, fell to the ground during a friendly match between Denmark and Ukraine on Sunday after appearing to clutch his chest. The game was abandoned as medical staff rushed to his side. The Danish Football Union later confirmed he was conscious and “doing well under the circumstances”. Team doctor Morten Boesen said the player had been “briefly unconscious, but regained consciousness very quickly” and was able to walk off the pitch before being taken to Odense University Hospital for further tests.
The incident was a stark echo of the cardiac arrest Eriksen suffered during Denmark’s Euro 2020 fixture against Finland in June 2021. Following that episode he was fitted with an implantable cardioverter‑defibrillator (ICD) – a device designed to restore a normal heart rhythm. Dr Boesen indicated that the ICD had responded as it should on Sunday. Eriksen subsequently made a remarkable return to professional football, playing for Brentford, Manchester United and now German club Wolfsburg, as well as continuing to represent his country. Further examinations are now under way to determine the cause of the latest collapse.
‘A reminder of the devastating impact’
Dr Steven Cox, chief executive of CRY, said: “This second, sudden collapse of Danish midfielder Christian Eriksen is a reminder of the potentially devastating impact that cardiac conditions can have on so many young people every day in the UK and across the world.” He pointed to CRY’s long‑standing estimate that at least 12 young people aged under 35 die each week in the UK from undiagnosed heart conditions. More recent data from the Office for National Statistics (ONS) for 2013–2021 puts the mean mortality rate at 1.55 per 100,000 individuals per year for definite cardiac deaths in those under 35, equating to roughly 7.6 deaths a week. Sudden Arrhythmic Death Syndrome (SADS) is the most common cause of such deaths in young people.
The charity stresses that the first sign of a lethal heart condition is all too often also the last. Around 80 per cent of young sudden cardiac deaths occur with no prior symptoms whatsoever. Among children, research shows that sudden heart‑related deaths are most common in the teenage years (13–17) and that roughly one in five happen during or just after exercise – yet only 11 per cent of those children had displayed any heart‑related symptoms before death.
The role and effectiveness of cardiac screening
CRY’s central message is that cardiac screening – both in the general population and among elite athletes – is the most effective tool available to identify those at risk. The charity runs a UK‑wide programme that tests the hearts of more than 30,000 people aged 14–35 every year using ECG and echocardiogram. Since its founding in 1995, CRY has screened over 350,000 young people. Around one in every 300 tested is found to have an underlying cardiac condition that could be life‑threatening if left untreated. A recent large‑scale study of more than 104,000 individuals screened by CRY between 2008 and 2018 confirmed that 1 in 300 were diagnosed with a serious cardiac condition, and of those, 41 per cent received significant medical interventions – ranging from medication to surgery or device implantation.
Dr Cox, who himself was diagnosed with a rare cardiac condition during routine screening as an elite athlete, said: “Over the past 30 years, we have learnt a great deal about the cardiac conditions that can affect young people. Through CRY’s screening programme … we know that screening identifies most of these conditions, but we also know that in around 80 per cent of cases, there are no symptoms before collapse.”
The effectiveness of mandatory screening is illustrated by Italy’s long‑standing programme. Since 1982 Italy has required all young people participating in organised sport to undergo annual cardiovascular evaluations, including a resting 12‑lead ECG. International evidence shows that this has reduced the incidence of sudden cardiac death among young athletes by almost 90 per cent in regions such as Veneto. This stands in contrast to approaches in other countries – for instance, the American College of Cardiology does not mandate ECG inclusion in pre‑participation screening. The Italian model provides what CRY calls a clear benchmark for how proactive screening can save lives.
Sport itself, CRY emphasises, does not cause sudden cardiac death – but it can significantly increase the risk for someone with an underlying condition. The incidence of sudden cardiac death in young athletes is generally very low, but physical activity can double that risk.
Ongoing unknowns and the need for research
Despite the progress made in understanding, preventing and managing these conditions, Dr Cox acknowledged that there are still too many unknowns. “Too often, the first sign that anything is wrong with a young person’s heart is also the last,” he said. CRY actively funds medical research into young sudden cardiac death and supports affected families. The charity provides expert pathology services at St George’s Hospital in London and funds research into inherited cardiovascular conditions and sports cardiology. “That is why continued investment in research is so important,” Dr Cox added. “CRY is proud to be leading research in this field, with the hope that one day no young person will collapse or die from an undiagnosed cardiac condition.”