Chest discomfort

[salmonella]

A 21 yo boy has history of having transient heart discomfort for the past 2 yrs. It usually occurs when he's standing. The feeling described was sudden irregularity of heart rhythm and squeezing of the chest lasting for 1-2 sec. Diagnosis done by a GP and a cardiologist were that it was due to his chest muscle contraction. His father has a history of high cholesterol. This boy doesn smoke and also has slightly high total cholesterol level of 5.3 mmol/L. ECG done doesnt show any ischaemic change. What explanation can be derive from this case? Thanks!

[doc_steve]

Has the boy been screened for any other diseases?

Symptoms are similar in Hypertrophic cardiomyopathy. Many people have little or no symptoms, but thosee that are felt are usually short sharp chest pains lasting for a few seconds. Another factor is that this disease also increases cholesterol levels on occasions. Other symptoms can include a punding feeling of the heart and occasional breathlessness.

ECG would only be good if the boy was having an attack whilst hooked up. My advice would be if you are unsure of the diagnosis, ask for a second opinion or go back and see the consultant. They have a responsibility to let you know all the details you want and should be able to offer further explanations.