As kids head outside for camp or take part in summer sports, it’s a good reminder for families to be on the lookout for signs and symptoms of an underlying heart condition.
“It’s quite common for people to be diagnosed with a heart rhythm condition or a cardiomyopathy later in childhood, teenage years or even adult life,” said Yale New Haven Children’s Hospital pediatric cardiologist Cheyenne Beach, MD, assistant professor of Pediatrics (Cardiology) at Yale School of Medicine. “Some of these conditions people are born with but are not discovered until the person becomes symptomatic later in life.”
Learning to recognize symptoms when they appear can help kids get the treatment they need, allowing them to safely enjoy the activities they love.
Common heart conditions in kids
There is a range of heart diseases in kids. Some are severe and may require surgical intervention, while others may just require monitoring.
Congenital heart defects are structural abnormalities of the heart. This can include holes in the heart, valve abnormalities or abnormal vessel connections, for example. Serious defects are usually diagnosed in utero or shortly after a baby is born.
Arrhythmias are electrical heart diseases that can be asymptomatic or can cause bothersome symptoms such palpitations or syncope. Cardiomyopathies describe conditions in which there is abnormal filling and/or squeezing of the heart.
Symptoms of heart conditions in kids
Symptoms differ depending on the heart condition. However, there are several signs that may need to be evaluated as they may indicate an underlying problem. These include:
- Syncope or fainting
- Palpitations or racing heart
- Skipping heartbeats
- Heartbeats that feel abnormal to the patient
- Chest pain
- Difficulty breathing
These symptoms can appear at any time but are of particular concern when they occur during exercise.
“Like the rest of our muscles, our hearts are put under stress during exercise. Exercise is supposed to do this, and it's usually a good thing. But when there is an underlying heart condition making a heart more susceptible to inadequate blood flow or arrhythmia, it can be dangerous. For this reason, we recommend that you reach out to your care provider if you have symptoms such as palpitations, difficulty breathing, chest pain, or fainting with exercise,” said Dr. Beach.
For mild symptoms during exercise, caregivers can call their pediatrician for guidance. In the event of any severe symptoms, especially syncope, families should seek emergency care.
What are the treatments for pediatric heart conditions?
Treatment depends on the type of heart condition and each person’s individual needs. Those with significant congenital heart disease will need to be followed by a cardiologist throughout their lifetime.
For many structural heart diseases, a patient may require catheterization or surgical procedures for repair. Arrhythmia conditions can often be monitored with EKGs, Holter monitoring or medications for symptom control.
One procedure used to treat arrhythmias is called an ablation. During this procedure, a catheter is used to reach the heart, and then radiofrequency or cryoablation targets heart tissue, restoring the heart’s rhythm.
Keeping kids safe
Learning to recognize symptoms so kids can get treatment is just one piece of the puzzle. Schools and teams should also have emergency plans in place. For example, Dr. Beach is involved in Project ADAM, an organization that helps communities get the resources they need to act in the setting of a cardiac emergency.
She stresses that any adult can help simply by listening to kids when they speak up.
“If an athlete or student says to an adult, ‘I don’t feel well, my heart is racing, something is wrong,’ it’s very important to take that seriously,” said Dr. Beach.
