After a 15-year-old Palatka High football player died in his sleep earlier this week after complaining of chest pains the day before, News4JAX wants to highlight the importance of student-athletes and their parents knowing the warning signs of cardiac arrest.
Dr. Prerna Bansal, a pediatric cardiologist with Wolfson Children’s Hospital, said at least 95% of the time chest pain in children and young adults isn’t coming from the heart.
“I don’t want all the parents to worry about that,” Bansal said.
She said the rare cases that do involve the heart could be because of a congenital abnormality or genetic disorder.
She said chest pain when children exercise that ends as soon as they stop exercising could be a sign they need to visit a pediatric cardiologist.
Another sign is unexplained shortness of breath for which the family has sought treatment unsuccessfully.
Unexplained fainting is another sign to watch for, Bansal said.
“Like someone is standing and just suddenly faints without any preceding dizziness,” Bansal said.
For more from Bansal’s interview, watch the video at the top of this article.