Key result
ECG confirms 110 bpm AF in an early adolescent athlete experiencing exercise-induced chest pain.
Why the study?
AF is most prevalent in older individuals with structural heart disease, but it can occasionally present in younger, healthy individuals engaged in intense physical exertion.
Case Report (n=1)
This case highlights that atrial fibrillation can occasionally present in young, healthy pediatric athletes during intense physical exertion.
AF may present during exertion in healthy adolescent athletes; this case report leaves open questions on prevalence and evaluation.
Atrial fibrillation (AF) is a cardiac arrhythmia most prevalent in older age groups and with underlying structural heart disease. However, it can occasionally present in younger, otherwise healthy individuals, particularly those involved in intense physical exertion. This case describes an early adolescent male paediatric athlete with no significant medical history who experienced a sudden episode of sharp, left-sided chest pain, dizziness and palpitations during basketball practice. His symptoms resolved spontaneously within minutes. A 12-lead ECG revealed an irregularly irregular rhythm, with baseline tachycardia of 110 beats per minute, consistent with a diagnosis of AF.
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Roa‐Bautista et al. (2025) conducted a case report in Atrial fibrillation (n=1). A 12-lead ECG confirmed atrial fibrillation with a baseline tachycardia of 110 beats per minute in an early adolescent male athlete experiencing sudden chest pain and palpitations during exercise.
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