Kids and Cardiomyopathy
1,496 views · Published 10 March 2016 · 1:23 · Indexed 20 September 2026
Channel: Lee Health · 2016 · Science & Technology
It’s one of a parent’s worst nightmares: being told their child has something wrong with their heart. One in every 100,000 children in the U.S. under the age of 18 is diagnosed with a condition called cardiomyopathy. “It impairs how well the heart squeezes and how the blood exits the heart, says pediatric cardiologist Dr. Eric Eason. Dr. Eason is with Golisano Children’s Hospital of Southwest Florida. The majority of diagnosed children are under a year old. But cardiomyopathy often goes undetected in older kids. The condition is the leading reason for heart transplants in children and is the leading cause of sudden cardiac death in teens and young adults. “For the older kids, they may have problems running, playing, chest pain and shortness of breath with exertion and sometimes arrhythmias,” says Dr. Eason. The CDC estimates 2,000 young people die each year as a result of cardiomyopathy, making it critically important to pick up on heart break - starting with family history, which could be a predictor of future problems. “If there is a family history of hypertrophic cardiomyopathy all other family members should get evaluated and tested. Symptoms of chest pain, passing out, abnormal arrhythmias with heavy play; that should be a red flag,” says Dr. Eason. Today, genetic testing can detect 50% of cardiomyopathy cases. View More Health Matters video segments at leememorial.org/healthmatters/ Lee Memorial Health System in Fort Myers, FL is the largest network of medical care facilities in Southwest Florida and is highly respected for its expertise, innovation and quality of care. For nearly a century, we’ve been providing our community with everything from primary care treatment to highly specialized care services and robotic assisted surgeries. Visit leememorial.org
