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There are a small number of cardiac conditions that have a natural incidence in the population.
If you look at epidemiological data, 1:100 young people may have a condition that requires monitoring over their life, and 1:300 may have a serious heart condition that could be potentially life threatening.
By performing heart checks, we aim to identify people with undiagnosed heart conditions and therefore help identify and facilitate ongoing monitoring or treatment, aiming therefore to minimalize their risk.
There is currently an unmet need for basic cardiovascular screening in this age group in the UK.
Other European countries, including Italy and Spain offer routine cardiac screening for all young individuals. In Italy they introduced a national screening programme in 2008 and have since reduced YSCD by 89% in that time.
Many UK and World sports authorities such as the FA, RFU, England Hockey and World Netball mandate or recommend screening for 16 - 18-years-olds, but it is not consistent across sports and rarely happening for those who are not in academy systems.
Teen Heart Project medical team will run clinics on site at schools and sports clubs.
The team will conduct individual 12 lead ECG screening and focused heart auscultation (listening to the heart with a stethoscope).
Based on the combined results of the ECG and focused clinical examination a basic report will be provided to the individual and their parents/guardians.
In most cases the heart screening will be normal, giving peace of mind.
In the rare situation of a positive screening (abnormal ECG or heart murmur identified), a recommendation will be made by a Teen Heart Cardiologist on what further investigations would be recommended and how to achieve that.
In the event of a complex decision, this will go through a multidisciplinary team of cardiac experts e.g. cardiologist with specialist expertise in heart electrics or imaging of the heart.
This may include a consultation with a cardiac specialist and/or imaging of your heart. This most often occurs in the form of an echocardiogram, a non-invasive ultrasound scan of the heart that measures cardiac dimensions and the flow of the blood in and out of the heart. On rare occasions an MRI may be required which looks at the heart in even more detail.
It may also need an extended period of ECG monitoring which can be for 24 or 48 hours while you do a normal day for you.
An exercise treadmill test may also be needed to look at your heart under physical exercise.
Sometimes there may be need for serial testing (further tests repeated after an interval of time)
A positive result will require you to see your GP for local referral to a cardiac specialist for any recommended further investigations. Teen Heart will guide you through these steps.
Team Heart Project will aim to notify you (and your parents/guardian) within 2 weeks after the screening event, if not sooner.
No test is 100% in terms of its ability to rule in or rule out a cardiac problem. Specialists use a combination of an individual’s medical history and family history and combine that with investigations with the aim of confirming or refuting a diagnosis. Some conditions may also develop over the course of your life which may not be present at the time of your original screening.
Absolutely not. This is down to you as an individual and your decision to consider it should be discussed with your parents or guardian.
You are free to withdraw at any point, even on the day.
Outside of the need for possible long-term medical follow up, certain diagnoses may affect your ability to gain health or travel insurance and possibly a mortgage.
In certain scenarios you may have to pay more than people who do not have long term health issues.
In very rare circumstances this may be the case. However, whether an individual can continue to play sport after a positive screening depends on what is found.
If a diagnosis of cardiomyopathy (a heart muscle abnormality) or an ion channel disorder (risk of arrhythmia) is made, then based on contemporary guidelines (European Society of Sport Cardiology), we may have to recommend that that individual does not perform any type of exercise that involves moderate to severe strenuous exertion.
However, some conditions that we can diagnose such as the electrical abnormality Wolff-Parkinson-White syndrome its easily cured and that individual can start exercising again as normal.
Minor valve disorders such as mitral valve prolapse, a bicuspid aortic valve, a small atrial septal defect should not preclude exercise, but we would recommend between 2 and five yearly echocardiographic follow up, depending on their severity.