It's a heart condition parents may not be aware their child has until it's too late.
It's called hypertrophic cardiomyopathy and can lead to sudden cardiac death. Research shows 1 in 500 teens are at risk. So, one Austin group is looking to help.
Championship Hearts Foundation is providing free heart screenings for teens. They have volunteer doctors who will conduct two heart tests: an electrocardiogram (ECG) and echocardiogram (ECHO).
This is all in hopes of saving lives.
“Over the course of the life of championship heart, we estimate we’ve helped close to 2,000 students be evaluated, saving the lives of many,” said Michelle Garcia, executive director of Championship Hearts Foundation.
“If a parent has hypertrophic cardiomyopathy, there’s a 50/50 chance a child that they have may have the same abnormality,” said Dr. Arnold Fenrich with Children’s Cardiology Associates in Austin.
Dr. Fenrich said the symptoms include shortness of breath, chest pain while exercising, a rapid heartbeat, or passing out while exercising.
These screenings take place on Saturdays throughout the summer.
The next screening will be on Saturday, May 4, at Bastrop Middle School. Click here to sign up.
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