Hopkins Doctor Checks Kids For Heart Disease
When you think of someone who may have heart disease, thoughts probably turn to an image of someone older, perhaps overweight or a smoker. But as Mike Schuh found out, a Hopkins researcher is looking at a group of people commonly not thought to have heart problems.
At an event for thousands of city students to choose their high school next year, admist this hubbub, stands a man with an enviable education and a mission to help these kids.
"There are conditions in children--heart ailments, high blood pressure, diabetes, but they also might have conditions that cause them to die suddenly," said Hopkins cardiologist Dr. Ted Abraham.
People checked children's blood and blood pressure.
"On the conditions they can modify--obesity, high blood pressure--we find 20%, which is pretty high," Abraham said.
"Yeah, I'm not too worried about my heart," said Akin Beale.
But his mother is.
"So I just wanted to check it out," said Annette Beale.
When they're finding problems, it's often related to heredity, how they're living or socioeconomic issues.
"The main issue is they don't have access to health care and maybe we can give them access and give them the knowledge they need to do something about it," Abraham said.
The Hopkins group is already planning for next year's heart screening.
