[Skip to Navigation]
Editor's Note
June 2018

Pediatric Hypertrophy Cardiomyopathy—Another Case Where Children Are Not Small Adults

Author Affiliations
  • 1Center for Genetic Medicine, Bluhm Cardiovascular Institute, Northwestern University Feinberg School of Medicine, Chicago, Illinois
  • 2Section Editor, JAMA Cardiology
JAMA Cardiol. 2018;3(6):526. doi:10.1001/jamacardio.2018.0819

Hypertrophic cardiomyopathy (HCM) can occur at any age along the lifespan, from the very young to the elderly. Its clinical manifestations and associated symptoms are diverse, ranging from asymptomatic left ventricular hypertrophy to exercise intolerance, heart failure, and death or transplant. Arrhythmias in HCM often focus on ventricular tachycardia, a potentially lethal consequence. However, among adults with HCM, atrial fibrillation is the most common rhythm disturbance, which can lead to consequences like stroke. Two recent articles highlight that pediatric HCM has a distinct spectrum from adult onset HCM.1,2 Patients with pediatric HCM who are symptomatic represent a high-risk group that may warrant more aggressive management.

Add or change institution
×