Checks reveal young women with deadly 'silent' heart risk

Checks reveal young women with deadly 'silent' heart riskJust nowShareSaveAdd as preferred on GoogleMichelle RobertsDigital health editorCRYKaitlin says many of her friends have gone for heart checks after hearing about her storySimple 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. Some causes of SCD can run in families and the NHS offers free family checks when this is suspected. 'My lips went blue'CRYKaitlin collapsed while playing a netball league matchKaitlin Lawrence, 24, and from Surrey, was diagnosed with a heart rhythm problem two years ago after collapsing on a netball court. She was about to play a league match when she felt sick."Then a few seconds later I just passed out on the sideline," she says."My teammates say they couldn't revive me and my lips were going blue, although I was still breathi...