BHF warns over incidence of sudden death syndrome

The British Heart Foundation (BHF) has warned that an estimated 620,000 people in the UK have a faulty gene that puts them at risk of developing coronary heart disease or sudden death.

It also warned that most people were unaware they carried the faulty gene, with the estimated figure 100,000 more than had been initially thought.

However, the BHF warned that the overall figure for those with the faulty gene could be much higher because of as yet undiscovered faulty genes and under-diagnoses.

The news comes as statistics show around 12 seemingly healthy people aged 35 or under are victims of sudden cardiac death with no explanation, largely due to undiagnosed heart conditions.

Prof Sir Nilesh Samani, BHF medical director, said: "The reality is that there are hundreds of thousands of people across the UK who are unaware that they could be at risk of sudden death.

"If undetected and untreated, inherited heart conditions can be deadly and they continue to devastate families, often by taking away loved ones without warning.

"We urgently need to fund more research to better understand these heart conditions, make more discoveries, develop new treatments and save more lives."