In the News
At 11-years-old, Gavin Hughes learned that he was suffering from a rare heart disease. The diagnosis came as a shock, as the young boy was an active competitive soccer player. Now 14, he is helping to raise awareness about the life-threatening condition. "I think Gavin is very fortunate," said Kelvin Lau, M.D., pediatric cardiologist at Pediatrix® Cardiology Associates in Tampa, Florida. "His condition, when we finally detected it when he was 11 years of age, was fairly advanced already." According to Dr. Lau, about 1 in 500 kids has Hypertrophic Cardiomyopathy, a condition in which the heart becomes thickened, making it harder to pump blood. "It is the most common genetic heart condition affecting the muscle in children and adolescents who suffer cardiac arrests," explained Dr. Lau.
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