Genetic test offers clues about cardiac hypertrophy in children

A mechanic uses diagnostic tests to determine why your engine is making strange sounds before lifting a wrench to fix the problem. Pediatric cardiologists would love to take a similar approach with patients experiencing cardiac hypertrophy—a thickening of the heart muscle. Rational treatment requires understanding the underlying causes of disease. But doctors know little about the causes of cardiac hypertrophy in children, so no diagnostic tests have yet been developed.