Health

Screening for Hypertrophic Cardiomyopathy

Sudden cardiac death in a young child or adult is one of the most traumatic events that can occur to a parent. Many scientific studies have been done to quantify the causes of this problem. The most common cause is hypertrophic cardiomyopathy (HCM) and it is responsible for 40-45% of all cases. This disease is caused by abnormal thickening of the heart muscle. Eighty percent of the time this disease is inherited from one of the patients. Twenty percent of the time the disease is caused by a spontaneous mutation and is not inherited. An echocardiogram will accurately diagnose roughly 90% of those with HCM. In many of those with HCM but not all, there is a heart murmur. For these reasons, if there is any family history of sudden cardiac death, family history of HCM or a heart murmur, it is recommended that an echocardiogram be performed to look for this problem. HCM can develop throughout life in a person with the genetic abnormality, that is, a person with the gene for HCM can have a normal thin heart muscle and develop the thickening several years later. For this reason, when there is a family history of HCM, it is important to perform echoes every 2-3 years to be certain that an individual is not affected

Why then should one consider a screening “quick-look” echocardiogram for an athlete? The first reason is that an experienced echo technician can quickly look at an athlete’s heart in less than 30 seconds to 1 minute and determine whether or not the dangerous severely thickened heart muscle is present. Second, a “quick look” is cheaper to perform than an ECG since it takes less time and doesn’t require the ECG leads.

Should all screening be done with just a “quick-look” echo? The answer is absolutely no. A quick look echo will not detect the hereditary electrical abnormalities, valve abnormalities, congenital abnormalities of the heart arteries etc. What should be done if the heart muscle is a little thick? If the heart muscle is a little thick and there is a family history of sudden cardiac death, then a cardiology consultation is indicated. If the heart muscle is a little thick and there is no family history of sudden death or other heart problems, then a follow-up quick look should be performed yearly to see if it is worsening. If it is not worsening then the person in all likelihood has an athletic heart and it is safe to exercise vigorously. If the heart muscle is thickening further, then it is possible that the person has the earliest detectable signs of HCM.

What can be expected from a screening program for HCM with the quick look approach? We are not going to stop sudden death. We will, however, will be able to identify roughly 90% of those with HCM. Since HCM causes 40% of the sudden deaths in young athletes, this program could theoretically reduce sudden death by 35%. For those 35%, however, it would be worth it.

Goals of GAMER Program

1) Improve the understanding of the body’s need for proper nutrition.
2) Improve the obesity rate within the student community.
3) Reduce the tobacco, drug and alcohol usage of the students.