SUMMARYFour hundred consecutive young patients who attended an accident and emergency department with non-traumatic chest pain as their primary complaint were reviewed. They represented 0.7% of total new attendances. Most were self-referrals, but ambulance transport was requested for over 25%. The majority of investigations (mainly chest radiography and electrocardiography) performed in this group of patients were normal; however, almost one in six investigations was judged to be abnormal. Although this group of patients is at low risk for serious cardiorespiratory disease, a small but significant number of underlying (mainly non-cardiac) disorders was found and 22-5% (90) required in-patient admission. In contrast, almost onefifth of patients received no specific diagnosis, while almost 40% were deemed to require no follow-up.
The data provided from this study should raise awareness of the different aspects of sport related injuries affecting children, and may help to provide the impetus for suggesting direction and guidance for reducing such events.
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