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Free heart exams Saturday to seek abnormality that endangers youths
Athletes can be susceptible to cardiac problem
By Carla McClain
ARIZONA DAILY STAR
Free screenings to detect heart abnormalities will be offered in Tucson on Saturday, in an effort to prevent sudden death in young people.
Doctors performing the screenings will look for evidence of a cardiac condition that can unexpectedly kill high-school and college athletes, as well as thousands of active young people who also die without any warning symptoms.
Known as hypertrophic cardiomyopathy, or HCM, the condition is blamed for the sudden deaths of University of Arizona football recruit McCollins Umeh, 18, who collapsed during practice in June, and Anthony Bates, 20, a Phoenix athlete who died after a football workout at Kansas State University in 2000.
Anyone from 14 to 40 years old is eligible for the echocardiogram screening - an ultrasound of the heart - whether or not they have any cardiac risk factors.
"Neither my son nor McCollins Umeh had any family history or any symptoms of this problem before they died," said Sharon Bates, who founded the Anthony Bates Foundation, which is sponsoring the event.
"They had no idea they were at any risk, and if they had known, this problem could have been controlled and they would have lived," she said.
"We are inviting anyone in this age group to get screened, whether they are athletes or not. This is the leading cause of sudden cardiac death in young people in the prime of life, and we want to start preventing it."
Sudden cardiac death kills 5,000 to 7,000 young people every year, with about a third of those caused by HCM. It can be detected on an echocardiogram as an enlarged heart. That and any other life-threatening abnormalities found during the Saturday tests will be reported immediately, and people will be advised to seek further evaluation.
"Conditions such as asthma or diabetes can put a strain on the heart. Taking Vioxx can cause trouble. The screening will show that kind of damage," Bates said.
The test - which normally costs $1,600 - will be free Saturday because cardiologists from the UA's Sarver Heart Center are donating their services, as are other volunteers, and screening equipment will be provided without charge.
During the five-hour event, at Tucson High Magnet School, at least 300 screenings can be conducted, Bates said. The test lasts about five minutes and requires the removal of a shirt or blouse.
If you go:
WHAT: Anthony Bates Foundation heart screening
WHEN: Saturday, noon-5 p.m.
WHERE: Tucson High Magnet School gymnasium, 420 N. Second Ave.
COST: Free
SPONSORS: Anthony Bates Foundation, UA Sarver Heart Center, Arizona Athletic Trainers Association, Medical Sales Professionals, Tucson Unified School District Athletic Department and Philips Medical.
● Contact reporter Carla McClain at 806-7754 or at [email protected].
Athletes can be susceptible to cardiac problem
By Carla McClain
ARIZONA DAILY STAR
Free screenings to detect heart abnormalities will be offered in Tucson on Saturday, in an effort to prevent sudden death in young people.
Doctors performing the screenings will look for evidence of a cardiac condition that can unexpectedly kill high-school and college athletes, as well as thousands of active young people who also die without any warning symptoms.
Known as hypertrophic cardiomyopathy, or HCM, the condition is blamed for the sudden deaths of University of Arizona football recruit McCollins Umeh, 18, who collapsed during practice in June, and Anthony Bates, 20, a Phoenix athlete who died after a football workout at Kansas State University in 2000.
Anyone from 14 to 40 years old is eligible for the echocardiogram screening - an ultrasound of the heart - whether or not they have any cardiac risk factors.
"Neither my son nor McCollins Umeh had any family history or any symptoms of this problem before they died," said Sharon Bates, who founded the Anthony Bates Foundation, which is sponsoring the event.
"They had no idea they were at any risk, and if they had known, this problem could have been controlled and they would have lived," she said.
"We are inviting anyone in this age group to get screened, whether they are athletes or not. This is the leading cause of sudden cardiac death in young people in the prime of life, and we want to start preventing it."
Sudden cardiac death kills 5,000 to 7,000 young people every year, with about a third of those caused by HCM. It can be detected on an echocardiogram as an enlarged heart. That and any other life-threatening abnormalities found during the Saturday tests will be reported immediately, and people will be advised to seek further evaluation.
"Conditions such as asthma or diabetes can put a strain on the heart. Taking Vioxx can cause trouble. The screening will show that kind of damage," Bates said.
The test - which normally costs $1,600 - will be free Saturday because cardiologists from the UA's Sarver Heart Center are donating their services, as are other volunteers, and screening equipment will be provided without charge.
During the five-hour event, at Tucson High Magnet School, at least 300 screenings can be conducted, Bates said. The test lasts about five minutes and requires the removal of a shirt or blouse.
If you go:
WHAT: Anthony Bates Foundation heart screening
WHEN: Saturday, noon-5 p.m.
WHERE: Tucson High Magnet School gymnasium, 420 N. Second Ave.
COST: Free
SPONSORS: Anthony Bates Foundation, UA Sarver Heart Center, Arizona Athletic Trainers Association, Medical Sales Professionals, Tucson Unified School District Athletic Department and Philips Medical.
● Contact reporter Carla McClain at 806-7754 or at [email protected].
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