Materials and Methods:
The study population:
Since its establishment, in 2001 the Anthony Bates Foundation has played a leading role in efforts to prevent cardiac death through echocardiographic screening. For this cohort study, we examined data collected as part of this initiative. A total of 4,120 individuals ranging in age from 6 to 79 years participated in screening across regions of the United States. The study was a retrospective study of that was approved by the institutional review board with exempt status.
Data collection:
Prior to receiving an echocardiogram, everyone was required to complete a questionnaire about their health symptoms. The questionnaire included the symptoms of shortness of breath, chest pain, dizziness, fatigue, and palpitations. Participants had to answer questions about all symptoms, whether mild or common. Informed consent was obtained to participate in the screening. Individuals less than 18 years of age needed parental informed consent. Echocardiography was performed by many donated handheld echocardiography devices and the final diagnosis was confirmed by volunteer cardiologists.
Echocardiographic assessment:
Our main objective was to investigate the link between self-reported symptoms and the presence of suspected Hypertrophic Cardiomyopathy (HCM). To identify cases with suspected HCM we employed the accepted criterion of a ventricular wall thickness ≥ 15 mm, which is an important diagnostic indicator for this heart condition.
Statistical analysis:
We conducted an analysis to examine the correlation, between self-reported symptoms and the presence of suspected HCM. We evaluated the strength and significance of this relationship using techniques such as regression and chi-square tests. Age, gender, and other related demographic factors were also considered as variables that could impact the outcomes of our analysis.. We used SPSS version 17 for our data. A p-value of < 0.05 is deemed significant.
Result :
The demographic data of patients including age, sex, and race have been evaluated. The age range of the participants was between 4 and 74 years, and most of the individuals were 18, 16, and 17 years old, respectively (Figure .1). Male gender were the majority of the participant. (Figure .2).
The overall prevalence of possible HCM was found to be 1.1% throughout the entire population. There was no correlation between HCM and the occurrence of any physical symptoms. Chest pain in 4.3% of participants with HCM vs. 9.9% of the control, p=0.19, palpitation in 4.3% of participants with HCM vs. 7.3% of the control., p=0.41, shortness of breath in 6.4% of participant with HCM vs. 11.7% of the control., p=0.26,  lightheadedness in 4.3% of participant with HCM vs. 13.1% of the control., p=0.07, ankle swelling in 2.1% of participant with HCM vs. 4.0% of the control., p=0.52, dizziness in 8.5% of participant with HCM vs. 12.2% of the control, p=0.44 (Figure .3). Our findings suggest that based on this study’s population symptoms reported during echocardiography screening may not serve as indicators, for detecting the presence of HCM.