Hypertrophic Cardiomyopathy Child

Causes

HCM may be caused by a gene that causes an abnormality in the heart muscle. It can be inherited or it can happen from changes in the genes over time.

Risk Factors

The risk of this problem is higher in children who have a family member with HCM.

Symptoms

Some children may not have any symptoms. Others may have:

• Chest pain
• Fainting, particularly during exercise
• Lightheadedness, particularly following exercise
• Rapid heartbeat
• Problems breathing, such as shortness of breath
• Lack of energy
• Tiring easily during exercise or activity

Problems in babies may be:

• Fast, heavy breathing when feeding
• Sweating when feeding
• Tiredness or lack of activity
• Poor weight gain

Diagnosis

The doctor will ask about your child’s symptoms and health history. A physical exam will be done. It will focus on the heart.

Blood tests will be done.

Images may be taken. This can be done with:

• Echocardiogram
• Transesophageal echocardiogram
• Heart catheter
• Chest x-ray
• MRI scan 

Your child's heart activity will be tested. This can be done with:

• Stress test
• Heart monitor

Treatment

The goal of treatment is to manage symptoms and prevent damage. Medicine may be given to:

• Maintain normal heart function
• Remove excess fluid from the body

Children who are not helped by these methods may need surgery to:

• Remove the thickened portion of heart muscle
• Repair or replace a damaged valve
• Insert an implantable cardioverter defibrillators to help pace the heart

Prevention

There are no known guidelines to prevent this health problem.