[The syndrome of disseminated intravascular coagulation in marathon athletes].

The paper is concerned with four Marathon athletes who developed grave impairments in hemodynamics and microcirculatory disorders in the organs (collapse, acute renal failure, cerebral abnormalities) and signs of the grave acute syndrome of disseminated intravascular coagulation with thrombohemorrhage and bleeding after competitions carried out under unfavourable conditions (a temperature of 30 degrees C and high air humidity). Three patients died. The diagnosis of the syndrome of disseminated intravascular coagulation was supported at autopsy. One of the athletes suffered brain stroke. The clinical and laboratory examination of the other 19 Marathon athletes showed that after competitions 6 persons had subclinical hemostatic disorders characteristic of the syndrome of disseminated intravascular coagulation. It is recommended that control and correction of hemostatic disorders should be strictly exercised in athletes experiencing hard and prolonged physical exercise.