Can heart disease in children cause sudden death?
Sudden death as a result of a heart disease very rarely occurs in children and adolescents. Injury and trauma are much more likely than heart problems to cause death during childhood. Sudden infant death syndrome is only rarely associated with any heart defect or abnormality. Sudden death during exercise in adolescent athletes is a rare occurrence. Potential cardiac causes of sudden death in this population include: • Hypertrophic cardiomyopathy (enlarged heart muscle) • Myocarditis (inflammation of the heart muscle due to infection) • Marfan’s syndrome (an inherited muscle and bone disorder that, in the heart, can cause breaking of the elastic fibers in the walls of the aorta.) • Coronary artery abnormalities • Long QT syndrome (an abnormal heart rhythm) Careful history and physical examination can identify risk factors for sudden death in most young athletes. Do children develop hardening of the arteries? The medical term for hardening of the arteries is “atherosclerosis.” Atheroscle
