adolescence Archives - Amazing Health Advances

Chest Pain in Children and Adolescents

The AHA! Team — Wed, 26 Feb 2025 06:11:28 +0000

Jennifer S. Li, MD via Duke Health – Chest pain is a common complaint in children and adolescents. Chest pain is often perceived as “heart pain” both to children and their parents, and it can cause a lot of distress. However, chest pain in children is very rarely due to a heart problem and most often arises from a less worrisome source. Jennifer S. Li, MD, a Duke pediatric cardiologist, discusses common causes of chest pain in children What causes chest pain? Chest pain in children and adolescents is common but is generally benign. However, chest pain with exercise or that is associated with fast heart beat, dizziness, or fainting can indicate a heart problem. Many structures located in the chest can cause or contribute to chest pain. Among these are the muscles, tendons, cartilage, or bones of the chest, lungs, heart, gastrointestinal system, and nerves. A problem in any one of these areas can cause chest pain. How often is chest pain due to a heart problem? In older adults, chest pain is frequently due to a heart problem. This is because heart disease mostly strikes older people. In kids, chest pain is very rarely due to a heart problem. A prospective study in 50 children referred to a cardiology clinic showed that 76% had pain from the muscles, bones, or cartilage; 12% had exercise-induced asthma; 8% had pain from gastrointestinal causes; and 4% had pain due to psychogenic causes. Another study of 3700 children without previously known heart problems found a low incidence of heart problems (1%). What about the kid who dies on the playing field? While a lot of media attention is given to cases of sudden cardiac death in kids playing sports, these are extremely rare events among the millions of children and adolescents who participate in athletics. Many instances are related to previously undiagnosed underlying heart conditions. Because of this, it’s important and necessary to have your child complete a sports physical before participating in competitive athletics. Sometimes underlying conditions related to sudden cardiac death have genetic factors, so a careful family history is also an important part of the pre-sports evaluation. What are some common causes of chest pain? Some common causes include: Musculoskeletal: This is usually related to muscle strain or heavy lifting. Costrochondritis: Inflammation of the cartilage around the junction of the ribs to the breastbone. Precordial Catch Syndrome: Sharp stabbing chest pain below the breast that lasts a few seconds and is worsened by taking a deep breath. It may be due to a pinched nerve. Asthma: This is frequently a cause of exercise-induced chest pain. Gastroesophageal Reflux: Usually burning pain worsened while lying down after eating. Anxiety: Typically related to stress or excessive worry. What are some heart-related causes of chest pain? Several cardiac problems have the potential to cause chest pain. Some of these include: Left ventricular outflow tract obstruction (blockage of the outflow of the heart to the body): a heart murmur is present. Hypertrophic cardiomyopathy: usually an inherited condition causing a thickened heart muscle. Anomalous coronary arteries: coronary artery arising off of the wrong sinus, causing chest pain with exercise. Rhythm disturbances: chest pain is typically associated with the feeling of the heart beating too fast. Pericarditis: inflammation of the lining of the heart often preceded by a viral illness. What are some worrisome symptoms of a heart-related cause of chest pain? Chest pain with exercise, associated with irregular or fast heart beat, or associated with dizziness or syncope (fainting) are symptoms that can indicate a serious heart problem. Chest pain in someone with a first-degree relative who has a history of sudden death or cardiomyopathy should be evaluated. Chest pain that occurs at rest without other associated symptoms is not typically due to a heart problem. What is the usual evaluation that is performed? A careful history and physical examination are necessary and can usually identify the cause for the chest pain. Sometimes laboratory studies may be needed such as an electrocardiogram, an echocardiogram, or an exercise stress test. To read the original article click here.

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How Sleep Helps Teens Deal with Social Stress

AHA Publisher — Mon, 24 Feb 2020 08:00:57 +0000

Michigan State University via Newswise – A first-of-its-kind study from Michigan State found that a good night’s sleep does adolescents good – beyond helping them stay awake in class. Adequate sleep can help teens navigate challenging social situations. Newswise — A new Michigan State University study found that a good night’s sleep does adolescents good – beyond helping them stay awake in class. Adequate sleep can help teens navigate challenging social situations. The study, which focused on ninth grade students, found that adequate sleep allowed students to cope with discrimination and challenges associated with ethnic or racial bias. It also helps them problem-solve more effectively and seek peer support when faced with hardships. “Findings of this study have important implications,” said Yijie Wang, assistant professor of human development and family studies at MSU. “Understanding how sleep helps adolescents negotiate social challenges may consequently elucidate how promoting sleep may improve adolescent adjustment during high school and beyond.” Published in Child Development, this is the first study to identify the timing in which sleep helps with adolescents cope with stress. Compared to adults and children, high school students are particularly at risk for insufficient sleep due to early school times, busy schedules and increased social stressors. The transition to high school also introduces more diversity to their social environment and relationships. Via this study, Wang and co-author Tiffany Yip of Fordham University wanted to pinpoint the effect sleep has on coping with discrimination. They found that if a teen has a good night of sleep, they are able to cope with harsh experiences – like discrimination – better. “This study did not treat sleep as a consequence of discrimination,” Wang said. “However, our team did identify the influence of discrimination on same-day sleep in other studies. These studies showed that, on days when adolescents experienced ethnic or racial discrimination, they slept less and also took longer to actually fall asleep.” Participants in the study wore an actigraphy watch, which tracked physical activities in one-minute intervals and determined their sleep-wake state, every day for two weeks. The students were also asked to complete a survey each day before bed, reporting their daytime experiences such as ethnic or racial discrimination, how they responded to stress and their psychological well-being. A surprising finding in the study was that peers, not parents, were the immediate support that help adolescents cope with discrimination. “Compared to parents, peers are likely to be witnessing and involved in adolescents’ experiences of ethnic or racial discrimination on a daily basis,” Wang said. “As such, they’re more of an immediate support that backs up adolescents and comforts them when discrimination occurs.” Still, parents have an important role in helping their children cope with both sleep and social situations. Beyond getting the recommended eight hours, the quality of sleep is just as important. That includes having a regular bedtime, limiting media use and providing a quiet, less crowded sleep environment. While encouraging good sleep habits in adolescents can be a struggle, said Wang that the benefits of a routine help them cope with the challenges of life in high school and beyond. “The promotive effect of sleep is so consistent,” said Wang. “It reduces how much adolescents ruminate, it promotes their problem solving and it also helps them to better seek support from their peers.” This article is from the publication Newswise which got the article from original source Society for Research in Child Development.

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Brain Networks Come ‘Online’ During Adolescence to Prepare Teenagers for Adult Life

AHA Publisher — Tue, 11 Feb 2020 08:00:31 +0000

University of Cambridge via Science Daily – New brain networks come ‘online’ during adolescence, allowing teenagers to develop more complex adult social skills, but potentially putting them at increased risk of mental illness, according to new research. To read the original article click here.

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Research Identifies Changes in Neural Circuits Underlying Self-Control During Adolescence

AHA Publisher — Sun, 19 Jan 2020 08:00:28 +0000

University of Pennsylvania School of Medicine via Science Daily – Researchers applied tools from network science to identify how anatomical connections in the brain develop to support neural activity underlying executive function. To read the original article and learn more about how these neural circuits function, click here.

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