Silent Heart Risks: Young Women’s Hidden Danger Uncovered by Simple Checks

In the United Kingdom, doctors are finding that simple heart checks can help save the lives of young women who might not know they have dangerous heart problems. These problems can cause the heart to stop suddenly, a condition called sudden cardiac death. Researchers have been studying a screening program that has been running since the early 1990s. This program, supported by a charity, offers voluntary heart checks to young people. From nearly 40,000 women between the ages of 14 and 35 who were checked, 175 were found to have heart issues they did not know about. Out of these, 94 were at high risk of their heart stopping suddenly, even though they seemed healthy and active.

Experts say that it is not only young men who are at risk for sudden heart problems. Young women can also be affected, and early diagnosis is very important. The UK National Screening Committee is considering whether all young people over 14 should be checked for these heart conditions, but no decision has been made yet. The challenge is to find the people who really need help without causing too much worry for those who are healthy. The heart checks, like an ECG, are simple and quick, but they do not always catch every problem. In the recent study, 92 heart issues were missed, and 28 of those were serious. Some heart problems are inherited, so if a doctor thinks someone might have a risky heart condition, their family can get checked for free by the NHS.

Kaitlin Lawrence, a 24-year-old from Surrey, discovered she had a heart rhythm problem after she collapsed during a netball match. She felt sick before the game and then passed out on the sidelines. Her teammates could not wake her up, and her lips turned blue, but she was still breathing. Kaitlin woke up in an ambulance on the way to the hospital. She now has a defibrillator in her chest, a device that can give her heart an electric shock if it stops working properly. This device has already saved her life twice. Kaitlin says her condition could have been found earlier with a simple ECG test. Now, her family and many of her friends are getting checked too. In the UK, sudden cardiac death kills 12 young people under 35 every week. The risk is higher for boys and young men, but girls and young women are also at risk. Many people do not show any symptoms and look completely healthy. Sometimes, just playing sports or taking a cold shower can be enough to trigger a deadly heart problem in someone who does not know they are at risk. The charity Cardiac Risk in the Young says that the real number of people affected may be even higher, because some sudden deaths are recorded as other causes like asthma or epilepsy. When doctors investigate after someone dies, they sometimes find a problem with the heart's structure or electrical system, often something inherited. But in some cases, no cause can be found. The findings from the screening program are being discussed at a big meeting in Manchester, as experts look for ways to protect more young people from these silent but deadly heart risks.