Bodybuilder Gabriel Ganley, 22, died due to hypertrophic cardiomyopathy, the death certificate indicates. The young man died suddenly and was found on Saturday (23) by a friend in his apartment in São Paulo.
Hypertrophic cardiomyopathy is an increase in the thickness of the heart muscle, explains Jorge Zarur, cardiologist and director of communications at the Society of Cardiology of the State of São Paulo (Socesp).
The main cause is genetic, that is, the person is born with some predisposition, says the doctor, and having cases in the family increases this risk. The condition can also be acquired through the use of anabolic steroids or poorly controlled hypertension throughout life, adds Zarur.
Those with hypertrophic cardiomyopathy have a greater chance of suffering sudden death, although the condition presents itself in different degrees, with lesser or greater risk. A patient considered at high risk is one who also develops arrhythmia.
This can be enhanced by the consumption of anabolic steroids, used to increase the body’s muscles. The heart is also a muscle, notes the cardiologist, and can grow in size and become overloaded.
“This does not happen 100% of the time, but these are conditions that increase the risk of overload and increased thickness of the heart, leading to hypertrophic cardiomyopathy in a patient who does not have this”, he explains.
Several medications were found inside Ganley’s apartment, possibly anabolic steroids, according to information in the police report.
The cardiologist states that anabolic steroids should be avoided. “There is no type of medical monitoring that offers safety for users of anabolic steroids for aesthetic purposes.”
Excessive physical activity can also be harmful. Therefore, high-performance athletes must remain alert and monitor their health, with regular monitoring by a cardiologist to assess whether there is any dysfunction, advises the doctor.
When they appear, the main symptoms of cardiomyopathy are tiredness and fatigue, says Zarur, but it is also possible for the patient to be asymptomatic. “And often the manifestation of the disease, unfortunately, can be sudden death.”
Other warning signs are shortness of breath, chest pain, palpitations and fainting due to exertion, says Raffael Fraga, cardiologist and specialist in sports medicine at Dasa. According to him, hypertrophic cardiomyopathy is the biggest cause of sudden death in athletes.
The good news is that there are tests to detect the condition. The main one is the strain echocardiogram.
“With it we can detect early whether the patient is progressing or whether there is a greater chance of developing hypertrophic cardiomyopathy or myocardial dysfunction due to the use of anabolic steroids”, says Zarur.
The doctor also states that there is treatment. Care depends on the patient’s underlying pathology, according to him, and may include stopping the use of anabolic steroids and controlling hypertension.
