Consultant Interventional Cardiologist Prof Nicholas Ossei-Gerning OBE has urged the public not to panic over reports of sudden deaths during sporting activities, stressing that such incidents are often linked to rare underlying genetic heart conditions.
Speaking on Joy FM’s Super Morning Show on 23 February, Prof Osei-Gerning explained that some individuals may unknowingly be living with inherited cardiac disorders that predispose them to dangerous heart rhythms.
“So let’s be clear, there are people who have underlying genetic conditions. The classical ones tend to be something called hypertrophic cardiomyopathy,” he said.
According to him, hypertrophic cardiomyopathy can make a person prone to electrical instability in the heart, potentially leading to sudden cardiac death.
“It’s a condition that makes it such that you are prone to electrical instability, and these conditions can lead to sudden death,” he noted.
He said this explains why, on rare occasions, seemingly healthy individuals collapse during intense physical activity.
“You would hear about people running in a marathon and then suddenly drop dead, or footballers who have had electrical instability and dropped during the game. These are conditions that you really can’t predict in many cases. They are rare conditions and not ones that the general public should be concerned about,” he stressed.
Prof Ossei-Gerning advised that individuals with a family history of sudden death should take proactive steps to undergo screening.
“Clearly, if you have a family history of sudden death, that’s something that you need to investigate. Conditions like hypertrophic cardiomyopathy can be diagnosed by doing simple things like an ECG and a heart scan,” he said.
For the wider population, he maintained that regular physical activity remains one of the most effective ways to protect cardiovascular health.
“For the rest of us, honestly, making sure that you’re out there walking is important. I try to go for a walk every single day for an hour. You don’t need to do that. If you look at British Heart Foundation guidelines, for example, it talks about 30 minutes four times a week, and that’s adequate,” he explained.
He emphasised that even modest levels of activity can make a significant difference.
“Seriously, the bottom line is whatever you can do, even if it’s just walking around your house for 10 minutes, is better than doing nothing. The studies looking at exercise and cardiovascular health are absolutely clear-cut,” he stated.
Prof Osei-Gerning concluded with a clear message: “The more you exercise, the better it is. But doing something is better than doing nothing. That’s really the key message — you’ve got to do something. I don’t care what it is, but you’ve got to do something.”
Profile of Professor Nicholas Ossei-Gerning
Professor Nicholas Ossei-Gerning OBE is a UK-based interventional cardiologist with more than 30 years’ experience in general and interventional cardiology, with specialist expertise in vasculogenic erectile dysfunction.
A consultant at the University Hospital of Wales and Aneurin Bevan University Health Board, he also practises privately at St Joseph’s Hospital in Newport/Cardiff. In Ghana, he played a leading role in establishing the Euracare Advanced Diagnostics and Heart Centre in Accra and remains a visiting professor. He notably travelled from the UK to perform an emergency cardiac intervention at the 37 Military Hospital in 2017.
An alumnus of Mfantsipim School, he trained at University College Hospital, London, earning his MBBS in 1990 and later an MD. He is a Fellow of the Royal College of Physicians.
In 2024, he was appointed Officer of the Order of the British Empire (OBE) for services to interventional cardiology in the UK and Ghana.
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