Philips' Save an Athlete Lends Support to Philadelphia Student Athletes Through Simple Health Tests That May Help Uncover Serious Heart Conditions

Royal Philips Electronics (NYSE: PHG, AEX: PHI) today announced its support of the Philadelphia Physicians for Student Athletes (PPSA) sports physical event to help detect heart conditions in Philadelphia school district student athletes. Philips’ Save an Athlete program aims to improve health and wellness by educating student athletes, their families, doctors, athletic directors and coaches about how early cardiac testing may help prevent sudden cardiac death (SCD). Each year, SCD affects approximately 5,000-7,000 young people in the United States.1 SCD in student athletes is sometimes caused by congenital cardiovascular conditions, such as Long QT Syndrome or Hypertrophic Cardiomyopathy (HCM), which can be identified using preventative diagnostic tests, like an electrocardiogram (ECG) or echocardiogram (echo or cardiac ultrasound). Most athletes, their friends and family are unaware of these conditions unless SCD strikes. According to the Cleveland Clinic, HCM is a condition that causes excessive thickening of the heart muscle and affects as many as 1.5 million Americans, making it the most common cause of SCD in people under age 30.2 In fact, an ECG exam can help detect heart conditions that account for up to 60 percent of SCDs in young athletes.3 "PPSA is pleased to have Philips’ support to help raise awareness and reduce the risk of sudden cardiac death in young athletes,” said Dr. Jerry Steingard, founder of PPSA. "Our work with Philips provides access to health tests that some students without health insurance would not otherwise receive. Together, we can help students learn about cardiac conditions that may be treatable.” A leader in the diagnostic health market, Philips started the Save an Athlete campaign in 2006 to support testing programs across the country, such as the PPSA event. Going beyond standard sports physicals, the PPSA event is free, includes a family health history review, further health checks and non-invasive cardiac testing which utilizes ECG and echo exams. This year’s PPSA testing event will perform more than 600 physicals, which will include cardiac testing using advanced Philips solutions, such as the PageWriter ECG. An all-volunteer staff of doctors and nurses will be on-site at South Philadelphia High School on Saturday, June 9th from 8:30 AM – 2:00 PM to examine each athlete with the assistance of medical students from the Philadelphia College of Osteopathic Medicine. "As part of our ongoing commitment to the Save an Athlete campaign, Philips is proud to join forces with PPSA to aid in raising awareness about serious heart conditions in student athletes before it is too late,” said Michael Miller, senior vice president, Cardiac Care, for Philips Medical Systems. "Philips is thrilled to offer its best-in-class cardiology systems for such an important cause. Events like these are a good example of how communities can join together to make a difference in the lives of young people. Ensuring student athletes receive free sports physicals with cardiac testing ultimately helps save young lives.” To learn more about the importance of cardiac testing in conjunction with sports physicals, student athletes, parents, healthcare providers and athletic officials are encouraged to visit www.saveanathlete.org. The Web site offers more details on the issue, how to get involved and, coming soon, a handbook for organizing your own event. About Royal Philips Electronics Royal Philips Electronics of the Netherlands (NYSE: PHG, AEX: PHI) is a global leader in healthcare, lifestyle and technology, delivering products, services and solutions through the brand promise of "sense and simplicity.” Headquartered in the Netherlands, Philips employs approximately 124,300 employees in more than 60 countries worldwide. With sales of USD 34 billion (EUR 27 billion) in 2006, the company is a market leader in medical diagnostic imaging and patient monitoring systems, energy efficient lighting solutions, personal care and home appliances, as well as consumer electronics. News from Philips is located at www.philips.com/newscenter. 1 School Health Corporation Web site. http://www.schoolhealth.com/shop/mc_archive_berger.asp. Accessed April 16, 2007 2 The Cleveland Clinic: Hypertrophic Cardiomyopathy. Accessed on April 16, 2007. www.clevelandclinic.org/heartcenter/pub/guide/disease/hcm/default.htm 3 Dominico Corrado et. al., "Cardiovascular Pre-Participation Screening of Young Competitive Athletes for Prevention of Sudden Death: Proposal for a Common European Protocol,” European Heart Journal (2005) 26, 516-524, February 2, 2005. (notebook 1)