More than 600,000 people carry faulty gene that increases the risk of sudden cardiac death

MORE than 600,000 people in the UK carry a faulty gene that puts them at risk of suddenly dying, experts warned today.

They said the majority of those affected have no idea - unaware that they may be at risk of a deadly heart attack or cardiac arrest.

The warning - that affects 620,000 people in total - comes from the British Heart Foundation at the start of National Heart Month.

The figure is almost 100,000 higher than previous estimates, due to a better understanding of the prevalence of inherited heart conditions.

And the UK's leading heart research charity warns the overall figure is likely to be much higher, due to under-diagnoses and undiscovered faulty genes.

Professor Sir Nilesh Samani, medical director at the British Heart Foundation, 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.

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

Professor Sir Nilesh SamaniBritish Heart Foundation

“Thanks to the public’s kind support BHF-funded researchers have discovered some of the genes responsible for these frightening conditions but there is still much to do.

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

Inherited heart conditions can affect people of any age and each child of someone with an inherited heart condition can have a 50 per cent chance of inheriting it.

For many families, the first sign there’s a problem is when someone dies suddenly with no obvious cause or explanation.

Each week across the UK around 12 seemingly healthy people aged 35 or under are victims of sudden cardiac death with no explanation.

BHF-funded research has helped to discover many of the faulty genes that cause inherited heart conditions, which has led to the development of structured genetic testing services for those at highest risk for some of these conditions.

However, more research is urgently needed to better detect and treat these conditions to stop the devastation brought to loved ones, who could also be at risk themselves.

Former England cricketer, James Taylor is backing the BHF’s campaign after being forced to retire at the age of 26 after being diagnosed with arrhythmogenic right ventricular cardiomyopathy (ARVC) in April last year.

ARVC is an inherited heart condition that causes heart muscle to be replaced by fibrous tissue and fat so the ventricle becomes thin and stretched, meaning the heart does not pump blood around your body properly and there is an increased risk of sudden cardiac arrest.