All children should be screened for conditions that can cause sudden death! American Academy of Pediatrics statement

Each year in the United States, about 2,000 people under the age of 25 die suddenly from a cardiac event. Many have structural heart abnormalities, but up to 40% have no known cause.

All children should be screened for conditions that could lead to sudden cardiac arrest or death, the American Academy of Pediatrics said in a policy statement.

The statement emphasizes that children should be screened regardless of whether they participate in sports activities, and this is especially important for middle and high school students.

This statement is also an update to the 2012 related guidelines.

The authors note that in the past, parents tended to focus on athletes when they brought their children or teens to participate in a sport or for pre-participation testing.

By now, the statement concludes, all children and adolescents could benefit from simple screening.

The statement recommends that doctors ask children and adolescents whether they have ever experienced fainting, unexplained seizures, chest pain or shortness of breath, and whether their family members have a history of heart disease or death before the age of 50.

Ideally, screening should be done at least every 2 to 3 years and included in routine checkups for children and adolescents, the authors said. Pediatricians can better understand the changes that children undergo as they enter adolescence, as well as their potential family history of heart disease and whether they are at risk for cardiac arrest or death.

If there is any doubt, an electrocardiogram should be performed first and interpreted by a specialist electrocardiologist. The statement recommends that the patient's clinical history be taken into consideration and referral to a specialist be considered.

"No single screening strategy can detect all possible heart problems, so it is important to increase awareness and education about screening for heart disease that can cause cardiac arrest or death in pediatrics and encourage parents to be vigilant of any suspicious presentation or family history," the authors said.

Source: China Circulation Magazine