Cardiac screening in sport could prevent deaths, doctors claim
ACCORDING to the charity CRY (Cardiac Risk In the Young), around 12 apparently fit and healthy young people (aged 35 and under) in the UK die from a previously undiagnosed heart condition every year, often while taking part in mass running events or other sports. In 80% of cases, there will have been no symptoms of any underlying problem.
Sport itself does not cause young sudden cardiac death but it can exacerbate an underlying condition, if not identified, which is why CRY believes proactive screening is vitally important. The charity is now testing more than 23,000 young people every year with a subsidised programme that means screening costs as little as £25. Privately these tests could cost many hundreds of pounds.