Early Diagnosis of Hypertrophic Obstructive Cardiomyopathy in Young Athletes

Hypertrophic Obstructive Cardiomyopathy (HOCM) is a life-threatening genetic cardiovascular disease that is often linked to sudden cardiac death in young athletes regardless of sex and race. HOCM occurs in 1 out of 500 individuals and is an autosomal dominant genetically transmitted disorder which results from a mutation in one of nine sarcomere proteins’ genetic make up. The purpose of this literature review is to analyze the screening tools that are currently being used to diagnose HOCM. The American Heart Association recommends that athletes should have a history and physical examination every 2 years; however, these are not reliable methods to identify those with increased risk of HOCM. Fox et. al performed a study that consisted of 2,332 young athletes screened for HOCM based on the thickness of the heart septum to posterior wall ratio determined via point of care ultrasonography. From this 6% of the individuals had an increased ratio greater than 1.25 indicating a risk of HOCM. The gold standard diagnostic test of HOCM is trans-thoracic echocardiogram. From this study, we will evaluate the effectiveness and feasibility of screening tools for early diagnosis of HOCM in young athletes.