Diagnosing Hypertrophic Cardiomyopathy in Athletes

Sudden cardiac death (SCD) in a young asymptomatic individual is a devastating, unpredictable event, with a widespread impact on the public health system. Hypertrophic cardiomyopathy (HCM) is the most common form of genetic heart disease, and considered one of the leading causes of SCD affecting young and frequently asymptomatic patients. A diagnosis of HCM is challenging particularly in young athletes due to overlapping clinical phenotypes between pathological left ventricular hypertrophy (LVH) and exercise-induced physiological LVH. Several investigational tools have been used to differentiate these two distinct entities. This review article focuses upon the diagnosis of HCM in young athletes, SCD risk assessment, and current recommendations for exercise in athletic individuals with HCM.