Drive to improve heart diagnoses

MANY PEOPLE with deadly inherited heart conditions are only diagnosed after having a cardiac arrest, research has shown.

One in five of those with such a condition only finds out after the death of someone in their family, the British Heart Foundation (BHF) said.

The charity estimates that about 620,000 people in the UK have a faulty gene which puts them at a particularly high risk of developing heart disease or dying suddenly at a young age.

Each child of someone with an inherited heart condition has a 50 per cent chance of inheriting the same faulty gene – but the majority of people remain undiagnosed.

It is also estimated that at least 12 young people (those under the age of 35) die from an undiagnosed heart condition every week in the UK.

The figures have been released as part of the charity’s In Your Genes campaign, which aims to raise awareness of inherited heart conditions and highlight the urgent need for better diagnosis.

BHF is urging people to speak to their family about any early sudden deaths or premature heart disease in the family, which might have been caused by an inherited heart condition.

BHF medical director Professor Sir Nilesh Samani said: “It is extremely important that family members are offered genetic testing when there’s a history of sudden death or premature heart disease in a family.

“Once diagnosed, many of these conditions are manageable with medication or ICDs (implantable cardioverter defibrillators), and can prevent needless deaths.”