Abstract

GUTIERREZ ALVAREZ, Rafael  and  CALVO CALDERON, Marcela. Dolor torácico y cardiopatía en la edad pediátrica. Rev. costarric. cardiol [online]. 2004, vol.6, n.1, pp.17-21. ISSN 1409-4142.

Objectives: to describe the population of patients referred with chest pain. To identify the patients with chest pain caused by cardiac diseases. To describe the findings according with the utilized diagnostic methods. Materials and methods: This is a prospective, descriptive and analytic study of 70 patients (3 to 13 years) referred to the Cardiology Clinic of the Hospital Nacional de Niños, during a one year period. Every patient had a clinical history, a physical exam, a chest x-ray and ECG and an echocardiogram taken. Results: Only 62 patients completed all their evaluating tests, 3 4 (54.5%) boys and 28 (45.2%) girls. The mean age was 8.5 years and the median was 9 years. In 21% of the cases the chest x-ray was abnormal (6 showed bronchopneumonia, 2 air trapping, 2 pulmonary artery enlargement, 2 prominent hila and 2 cardiomegaly). The ECG was normal in 97%, the Echocardiogram was abnormal in 4 (1 showed and ASD, 1 a patent ductus arteriosus, 1 a dysplastic pulmonic valve and 1 a pericardial effusion). Stress tests and Holters were normal. Only 4.8% of the patients had heart disease. Conclusion: Consultation for chest pain in the pediatric age is frequent. History and physical examination are very important for the diagnosis and handling of these children. Chest pain though is infrequently associated with cardiac anomalies during childhood years and the patients with heart conditions and chest pain had other findings such as bradychardia, pericardial rub and murmurs.