Cardiac arrest cases in marathon and half-marathon runners have become more common during the past decade -- a fact that has generated more terrifying accounts about fit athletes keeling over in the midst of competition.
But a new study says the rate of these dramatic events actually held pretty steady from 2000 to 2010.
The increase in cardiac arrests, it turns out, has been accompanied by a dramatic increase in the number of participants, according to study results released Wednesday afternoon.
Researchers, however, did offer a warning for one group of runners. Men competing in marathons saw an increased rate of cardiac arrest and sudden death over the course of the past decade, according to the study.
"The most important message is that people should keep exercising," said Dr. William Roberts, a University of Minnesota family medicine doctor who contributed to the research. "The message for older men is that exercise remains critical, but they should pay close attention to how they feel, as well as signs and symptoms.
"The typical male ignores things," Roberts added, "but you can't."
The study, which was published in today's New England Journal of Medicine, drew on a database of cardiac-arrest cases among runners while they participated in -- or shortly after they completed -- marathon and half-marathon events. Researchers identified 59 cardiac arrests from 2000 to 2010 among 10.9 million registered race participants.
