Archive - Jan 18, 2010 - SCA Article

The 26-year-old defensive end
for the Chicago Bears, Gaines Adams, died on Sunday, January 17, of
cardiac arrest resulting from an enlarged heart, according to Greenwood
County, South Carolina chief deputy coroner Marcia Kelley-Clark, as
reported in the Chicago Tribune. Drug use was not suspected to be a factor in Adams’ death, although toxicology tests are being conducted.

The death of Gaines Adams comes just one month after Cincinnati Bengals’ receiver Chris Henry died after falling out of the back of a pickup truck. Henry also was only 26 years old.

Newswise — The tragic news of Chicago Bears defensive end Gaines
Adams, 26, and Southern Indiana center Jeron Lewis, 21, whose sudden deaths are
both suspected to be from Hypertrophic Cardiomyopathy (HCM), are vital
reminders that this deadly disease often goes undetected.

Hypertrophic Cardiomyopathy (HCM), a genetic disease which
results in a thickening of the heart muscle, is the leading cause of sudden
death in children and young adults. It accounts for 40 percent of all deaths on
athletic playing fields across the country.