Checks reveal young women with deadly 'silent' heart risk
Simple checks are spotting young women with silent heart issues that puts them at risk of their heart stopping suddenly, known as sudden cardiac death (SCD), say UK researchers. The findings come from a review of a voluntary screening service, funded by a charity working with be
Simple checks are spotting young women with silent heart issues that puts them at risk of their heart stopping suddenly, known as sudden cardiac death (SCD), say UK researchers.
The findings come from a review of a voluntary screening service, funded by a charity working with bereaved families, that has been running in the UK since the early 1990s.
From almost 40,000 women aged 14 to 35 who had heart checks, 175 were found to have undiagnosed issues, despite appearing fit and healthy, with 94 at high risk of sudden cardiac death.
Experts say it's not just sporty men who are at risk - young women can also be affected, and an early diagnosis can save lives.
The UK National Screening Committee is reviewing whether all over-14s should be checked for conditions associated with SCD.
A public consultation is due to be held although no date has yet been confirmed.
The challenge is finding real cases of risky heart problems, balanced against the anxiety caused by carrying out unnecessary checks on lots of young people.
Checks, such as a simple heart trace or ECG, can also miss cases - in this latest study of girls and women, 92 heart issues were overlooked, with 28 of them fairly major.
