Free or low-cost heart screenings may not benefit teenagers
Although non-profit organizations promote free or low-cost heart screenings for teenagers, research does not conclusively show such screening prevents deaths, Kaiser Health News reports.
The news agency noted that research has shown one to four of every 100,000 children die due to sudden cardiac deaths each year, which is lower than deaths in accidents (22 of 100,000 teenagers) and suicide (nine of 100,000).
The organizations typically perform heart screenings by using electrocardiograms (ECGs). However, Kaiser Health News reports that screening may actually do harm in children with no symptoms or family history of disease.
In 2016, an estimated 60,000 to 70,000 teenagers in the U.S. underwent heart screenings, according to the news agency.
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Executive Editor
Tim Casey joined TriMed Media Group in 2015 as Executive Editor. For the previous four years, he worked as an editor and writer for HMP Communications, primarily focused on covering managed care issues and reporting from medical and health care conferences. He was also a staff reporter at the Sacramento Bee for more than four years covering professional, college and high school sports. He earned his undergraduate degree in psychology from the University of Notre Dame and his MBA degree from Georgetown University.