A pioneering new development to test children
born in 1995 across the South East of England
Every day at least one family in the UK will suffer the
trauma of loosing a young (35 and under) person to an
undiagnosed heart condition.
In 2010, to coincide with Raising Awareness Week, CRY announced the first initiative in the UK to screen every
14-year-old born in 1995 (the year that CRY was founded) across
the South East.
The launch of this important new programme
coincided with the announcement of the world’s first specialist,
multi-disciplinary ‘centre’ dedicated to young* sudden cardiac
death, to be based at St George’s
Healthcare NHS Trust, South West London.
(*aged 35 and under)
Dr Steve Cox, Director of Screening at CRY said; “We
are currently screening 1000s of young people every year aged between 14
and 35. However, this is just the start."
"We need to know more about what
a national screening programme will “look like”, when it is best to
introduce screening and how to make this process as easy as possible for
every young person who wants to be tested.”
This screening initiative will help to lay the foundations
for a national programme in the future. The focus on 14-year-olds is
because post-puberty is the earliest age that proactive screening is
viable.
This unique programme has been made possible thanks to a
charitable grant from ICAP, the interdealer broker.
Dr Cox added, “It is right that we aspire to offer
testing to young people at a time when they are making important
decisions about their future – and before they are forced to make
‘sacrifices’ and changes to their ‘dreams’ and aspirations. That is
what this screening programme is about – a commitment to the future of
young people.”
This new centre will combine three
essential features of CRY’s mission to eliminate young sudden cardiac
death: offering services for affected families, competitive athletes and
the general population.
'Affected families' will
attend the first dedicated inherited cardiovascular disease and sports
cardiology clinic in the world.
CRY is running regular cardiac testing clinics
that are available free of charge to any person in
the South East who was born in 1995. The venue for these clinics
is the CRY Centre for Inherited Cardiovascular Conditions and
Sports Cardiology, at St. George's Hospital in Tooting, London
(click here for map).
The dates of these screening clinics are
below - click on the date to go through to our online booking
system. Please note that these clinics are only open to
young people in the South East born in 1995 - visit
www.c-r-y.org.uk/ecg.htm for details of other CRY screening
clinics available to young people aged 14 to 35.
Screening dates
25th May 2013
ICAP clinic
FULL
8th
June 2013
ICAP clinic
FULL
29th
June 2013
ICAP clinic
FULL
13th July 2013
ICAP clinic
FULL
For
more information or questions on screening please go to
CRY's Q&A page
If you
have any specific questions you would like us to answer, please
send them to
1995@c-r-y.org.uk and write "Question" in the subject
line.
If you are unable to make use of this screening initiative but
would still like to be tested please go to
www.c-r-y.org.uk/ecg.htm
for the next screening event in your area. Some of these events
may require a subsidised payment of £35.
CRY Patron David Walliams has his heart screened
The 'general population'
will be able to access nationwide screening services through the rapidly
developing mobile screening programme co-ordinated from the Centre at St
George’s Healthcare Trust. Elite athletes will attend the
world renowned CRY Centre for Sports Cardiology.
Spearheaded by the charity’s consultant cardiologist,
Professor Sanjay Sharma, the new centre will provide a ‘one stop shop’ for young
people and ‘affected families’ who wish to be screened for potentially
life-threatening cardiac problems.
Chief Exec and Founder of the charity,
Alison Cox MBE, said; “This ICAP funding is a huge milestone for CRY
and takes us another step closer to realising our dream of being
able to offer heart testing to all young people in the UK."
“I
launched CRY 14 years ago in 1995 – and it therefore feels ‘right’ to be
offering young people turning 14 the opportunity to be screened
by some of the world’s leading experts and to hopefully to be able to
reassure them that they are in good health.
Those that play sport are particularly at risk, if they
carry an undetected heart condition, and so we are really pleased to
have this opportunity to offer these fully funded tests which will
unquestionably save lives.”
She continued; “80% of young people have no signs or
symptoms and so the only way to detect a potentially sinister cardiac
abnormality is by having a simple screening test.
“These are all treatable conditions and, if diagnosed in
time and with appropriate treatment, lives are saved. Young people, with
their whole lives ahead of them are dying needlessly and their legacy of
horrific suffering for those that love them is truly unbearable.”
Experts at the Centre will be able to support teenagers
in the journey from screening through to possible diagnosis and
treatment and, where necessary, counselling and support. Specialist
researchers will also be based in the new centre working on the genetics
of hereditary cardiac defects and helping families to understand their
‘heart history’.
Professor Sharma said; “ONS stats indicate that 600 young people die suddenly every year in
the UK from sudden cardiac death – and that figure could be a
conservative estimate. These young people are in the prime of their
lives – and no family should have to go through the terrible heartbreak
of losing a son, daughter, partner or sibling without warning and
without explanation.”
“The tragedy is that these deaths are not
'freak' accidents. They are preventable deaths that could have been
avoided if young people – especially those involved in regular sport –
were being offered screening. I am delighted to be taking up this
exciting position and believe this new unit will play a vital role in
increasing knowledge and awareness of these devastating conditions among
the public and health professionals both in the UK and on an
international level.”
This project has also being supported by healthcare
company Philips, who
donated state of the art screening equipment.
Call us at 01737 363 222 or email us at
cry@c-r-y.org.uk
CRY, Unit 7, Epsom Downs Metro
Centre, Waterfield, Tadworth, Surrey, KT20 5LR
A Company Limited by Guarantee.
Registered in England No. 3052965
Registered Office 35 - 37 Grosvenor
Gardens, London SW1 0BY. Registered Charity No. 1050845
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