Experts and campaigners are calling for comprehensive heart screenings to be offered to young people across the UK to prevent hundreds of tragic and often sudden deaths from undiagnosed heart conditions. Currently, 12 individuals under the age of 35 die each week in the UK due to 'hidden' heart issues, often without any prior symptoms.

A poignant example is Clarissa Nicholls, a 20-year-old Cambridge University student and athlete, who tragically died while hiking in France in 2023. Her death was caused by arrhythmogenic cardiomyopathy, a condition where heart muscle is replaced by fat and scar tissue—one of many heart conditions that could be detected through a simple screening test.

New research, funded by the charity Cardiac Risk in the Young (CRY) and led by a team at City St George's University in London, provides strong evidence for the effectiveness of such screenings. The largest study of its kind analyzed data from over 104,000 young people aged 14 to 35 who underwent heart screenings as part of a CRY-funded scheme. Shockingly, one in 300 participants were identified with heart conditions that could have fatal consequences if left unmonitored and untreated. Furthermore, four in ten of those identified subsequently received significant life-saving interventions, including implantable defibrillators, pacemakers, and even heart transplants.

The study also disproved the common misconception that sport exacerbates the dangers of hidden heart conditions, finding no significant difference in the risk of sudden cardiac death between athletes and non-athletes. This comprehensive examination of cardiac screening in the young could pave the way for a nationwide screening program.

Clarissa's mother, Hilary Nichols, has become a prominent campaigner for greater awareness and access to heart screenings since her daughter's death. She questions why routine screenings are a requisite for elite athletes, army recruits, and pilots, but not for the wider young population. In Clarissa's memory, 'Clarissa's Campaign' was established, raising money to fund annual ECG heart screening days for young adults. Working with CRY, the NHS, and Clarissa's family, the charity supports an annual eight-day screening service in Cambridge and south east London, Clarissa's home area, with each screening day costing approximately £7,000.

Dr. Steven Cox, chief executive of CRY, emphasized the research's findings, stating, 'This research has clearly demonstrated it is no longer a question of if screening saves lives, but now about how many lives screening saves and how to prevent more tragedies.' It is estimated that one in every 250 people, totaling roughly 260,000 individuals in the UK, has a genetic heart condition, underscoring the critical need for proactive screening measures.