Screening to reduce cardiac arrests in young people

Staff and students at a university are being screened for undiagnosed heart conditions.

The University of Gloucestershire has teamed up with the Cardiac Risk in the Young charity (CRY) to carry out electrocardiogram (ECG) tests, which can detect heart muscle disorders and electrical faults of the heart.

According to the charity, at least 12 seemingly fit and healthy young people aged 35 and under die from undiagnosed heart conditions every week in the UK.

Eve Scarle, associate head of the university's school of health and social care, said: "Many heart conditions that affect young people do not present with symptoms until it is too late and they suffer a cardiac arrest."

Depending on the results of the ECG, participants will be offered the opportunity to undergo an ultrasound scan of the heart to provide further information and where necessary be referred to their GP for further tests.

"Since we started holding our heart screening day in 2013, a number of students, staff and local people have been diagnosed with underlying heart problems of which they were previously unaware," Ms Scarle said.

"We want to work to detect these conditions so that young people can receive the right treatment and support for the conditions and the reduce the number of young people dying from cardiac arrests."

The screening is being jointly funded by the Ashley Goodwin Memorial Fund.

Ashley, from Gloucester, died suddenly from a previously undiagnosed heart condition in July 2007, the day after his 35th birthday.

Ashley's parents, Linda and Geoff, set up a memorial fund in his honour to raise funds and awareness of cardiac screening.

Ms Goodwin said their lives "changed forever" when Ashley died having suffered a cardiac arrest.

"He had taken part in the London Marathon runs of 2005 and 2006 and was in the process of completing his police training course, so it was virtually impossible for us to come to terms with his sudden death when he was simply sitting on a sofa making notes," she said.

"For every life saved through early diagnosis, so are those of parents, siblings friends and in some cases partners and children, who will not have to endure the feeling of loss that we and hundreds of other families have," she said.

CRY said research showed that one in every 300 young people screened by the charity will be identified with a potentially fatal heart condition, if left untreated and unmonitored

Chief Executive of CRY, Dr Steven Cox, said: "In 80% of these cases, there will have been no signs or symptoms of a heart defect, which is why CRY believes screening is so vitally important, particularly for those involved in sport and regular, physical activity".

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