A few risk factors for having Hypertrophic Cardiomyopathy include being a young person with a history of fainting, having abnormal blood pressure, and having family members who have died suddenly from cardiac arrest.

Young athletes represent the majority of deaths caused by Hypertrophic Cardiomyopathy because of the stress put on the heart during strenuous activity.

Though Hypertrophic Cardiomyopathy strikes suddenly and rarely has identifiable symptoms, it may be detected with an echocardiogram (ECHO). Because it's an expensive procedure that most insurance programs won't cover, a "two-minute" ECHO technique has been developed that can still be done by a cardiologist for a fraction of the cost. Student athletes are referred for further cardiac evaluation by a pediatric cardiologist if a problem is found during the screening. These screenings are provided free of charge to 14- to 18-year-old Texas student athletes, band members, cyclists, cheerleaders and students participating in other strenuous activities.

Committed to saving young lives, Championship Hearts offers a cost-effective, high-quality, innovative method of identifying students with HCM.