Cardiologist shares tips on when a child's racing heart during sports needs medical care

When kids play sports, a heart rate that climbs slowly and returns to normal after a few minutes of rest is completely normal. Dr Pankaj Bajpai, a cardiologist, explains that most heart-racing episodes during games are harmless. Parents should worry if the heart starts racing suddenly without any gradual build-up.

Medical Checks

If a sudden racing heart comes with dizziness, chest pain, sudden paleness, or breathlessness, it can point to an electrical rhythm problem known as arrhythmia. Fainting after standing too long or getting up quickly is usually just a mild drop in blood pressure. However, fainting during active sports or at the peak of physical effort is very different. It can mean the heart rhythm is unstable under strain or point to a structural issue like a thickened heart muscle or an abnormal coronary artery origin. Parents should stop sports immediately and get the child evaluated if this happens.

Doctor Visits

Parents visiting a cardiologist should share a detailed history of the event, including when it happened, how long it lasted, and what the child felt. Doctors usually follow this with a resting ECG, an echocardiogram, or an exercise stress test. Parents must also share family history, such as unexplained sudden death in a first-degree relative under age 50, congenital heart disease, a relative needing a heart transplant, or conditions like long QT syndrome or Marfan syndrome. Dr Bajpai advises parents not to self-diagnose but to get a proper medical opinion.

Context

Dr Pankaj Bajpai serves as the Associate Director of Clinical and Preventive Cardiology, Paediatric Cardiology, and Cardiac Care at Medanta in Gurugram, bringing over 28 years of clinical experience to his practice. Medical experts routinely emphasize that while many childhood exertional symptoms turn out to be benign, evaluating red flags early helps manage potential underlying cardiac risks safely.