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WEDNESDAY, Aug. 27, 2003 (HealthDayNews) -- There were no heat stroke deaths among younger U.S. football players during the 2002 season, says a University of North Carolina (UNC) Chapel Hill study.
The findings came as a surprise to the researchers because 21 football players died from heat stroke between 1995 and 2001, an average of three a year.
At the time this study was released in early August, there had been no heat stroke deaths reported so far in the 2003 season. At that point, practices for the season were just getting under way.
"We have been concerned because heat-related deaths are either entirely or almost entirely avoidable," Dr. Frederick Mueller, professor and chairman of exercise and sport science at UNC's College of Arts and Sciences, says in a news statement.
"Fatalities like these often meant someone forgot to emphasize or practice what we and others have been reminding coaches and trainers about for years. Players should get all the water they want in practice and have frequent cooling-off breaks to prevent these tragedies," Mueller says.
The study did find that 15 young U.S. football players died in the 2002 season. Five of those deaths were the direct result of injuries suffered on the field. They included three high school players, one youth league player and one semi-professional player. All five died after suffering severe head injuries.
"Ten others died in ways not directly tied to the game but more from natural causes provoked by vigorous exercise. Five happened among high school students, four were in college and one boy was participating in youth football. Of the 10, eight deaths came from heart-related causes, one from asthma and one was undetermined," Mueller says.
More information
Here's where you can learn more about heat stroke and other heat illnesses.
