Signs and symptoms in young people with underlying and undetected genetic cardiac problems are often absent or mild. Because awareness in Australia is limited to heart disease in older people, heart conditions are usually only associated with this older age group or with children born with congenital heart defects.
The group that is missed out altogether are our youth. They present as looking well and function normally. They more often than not do not appear sick with symptoms such as those associated with heart attack victims or heart disease, i.e. pronounced chest pain, breathlessness and cyanosis ect. If they did, their underlying conditions would be detected and appropriate treatment provided.
The young ones that succumb to Sudden Cardiac Death are active and many signs differ to what most people associate with heart problems. For example some may have fainted, had a seizure or suffer headaches associated with dizziness. When seen by Doctors who are not well informed about conditions that can lead to Sudden Cardiac Death, symptoms may be put down to puberty, the weather or they are referred to Neurologists and therefore miss out on cardiac assessments.This is why following a young ones sudden cardiac death parents are left shocked and bewildered as to why this tragic event has occurred.
Remember many young ones do not have any signs or symptoms preceding Sudden Cardiac Death.
The following poster from Parent Heart Watch describes some of the signs that young people may present with but are often overlooked because they may be mild or a one off event.
