New moves to help tackle sudden cardiac death in young people and improve
services for people with conditions like irregular heartbearts were
announced today by Public Health Minister Melanie Johnson.
It's estimated that as many as 400 apparently healthy young people die
each year from sudden adult cardiac death syndrome (SADS).
Around 700,000 people in the UK suffer from arrhythmia - a disturbance in
the heart's rhythm - where severity can range from a minor health
inconvenience to a fatal rhythm disturbance.
Miss Johnson announced that a new body would be set up to raise awareness
of the conditions and advise the Department of Health on future policy.
It could lead to a new National Service Framework (NSF) chapter setting
out the standards and models of care for such conditions.
The group will be chaired by the National Clinical Director for Heart
Disease, Dr Roger Boyle. Voluntary and professional organisations
including Cardiac Risk in the Young (CRY) and the British Cardiac Society
will be invited to join. Patients and families of patients will also
have a strong voice in the work.
"I
am delighted to be chairing the new advisory group on arrhythmias
and
sudden cardiac death. I am sure that by our awareness raising
efforts and
by influencing future policy, lives will be saved."
Sir
Roger Boyle |
Melanie Johnson said:
"It is devastating for families when a young, apparently healthy
person dies suddenly without warning."
"The majority of people with the underlying conditions do not have
any symptoms for all or most of their life. However, the condition
can lead to sudden and unexpected death, often in early adulthood."
"It's vital that we attempt to understand this condition further. The
new group that I'm announcing today will help both raise awareness and
drive future policy."
She added:
"We've already shown our determination to tackle coronary heart
disease through the publication of the National Service Framework (NSF).
The creation of this group to advise future policy on arrhythmia and
sudden cardiac death progresses this work further."
"The prospect of a new NSF chapter setting out the standards and
models of care for these conditions marks a major step forwards for
cardiac patients in England."
"I would like to pay tribute to the efforts of organisations like
CRY, the British Cardiac Society and Dari Taylor MP who have worked
tirelessly to raise awareness of the issue."
Symptoms a patient with arrhythmia might experience include palpitations,
dizziness and blackouts or they may occur only as a
sudden adult death. The most common causes of arrhythmia include heart
disease, coronary artery disease, heart valve disorders and congenital
anatomical heart defects.
People who will benefit from the work include:
those at risk of sudden cardiac death - an estimated one in 500 young
adults with hypertrophic and dilated cardiomyopathies; an estimated
112,000 people with disorders of the electrical conduction system within
the heart, such as Long QT syndrome or Wolff-Parkinson-White syndrome; and
those requiring pacemakers for slow heart rates.
Welcoming the move, Dari Taylor MP, who presented the Cardiac Risk in the
Young (Screening) Bill, said:
"I am delighted that the substance of my Bill has been adopted by the
Department of Health, and we will see new guidelines and standards to
prevent these terrible and unnecessary deaths."
"We know from research and experience that we can prevent these
deaths - but now we need to put that knowledge to work. Far too many
cases are slipping through the net undiagnosed, misdiagnosed, or diagnosed
but not treated."
"I have seen the tragedy of sudden death first hand, when the 22 year
old son of a good friend collapsed suddenly and died. How do families cope
with the trauma of a sudden, young, preventable death?
"Today's announcement will help prevent such deaths and I am
delighted that the Government has taken this terrible condition
seriously."
And Alison Cox, Founder and Chief Executive of CRY, said:
"Today's announcement will save young lives. It is a huge relief, and
I am very grateful to Dari Taylor and all those who have supported this
campaign. The sudden death of an apparently fit and healthy young person
is absolutely devastating to a family, but this is very encouraging."
Notes to editors:
1. Two main conditions cause sudden cardiac death in young people:
hypertrophic cardiomyopathy and dilated cardiomyopathy. This equates to
about 200-400 deaths each year (around eight people a week). Other causes
of sudden cardiac death include other cardiomyopathies and disorders of
the electrical conduction system of the heart that can cause arrhythmias,
for example Long-QT syndrome or Wolff-Parkinson-White syndrome.
Atrial fibrillation is another cause, affecting one per cent of the
population and rising to 10 per cent in the elderly.
2. The terms of reference for the new group will include writing a
communications strategy to raise awareness in primary care of signs and
symptoms of conditions leading to sudden cardiac death. It could
also make recommendations about how deaths are certified in cases of
sudden cardiac death.
3. More information: contact David Hands on 020 7210 4905.
[ENDS]
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COIREF: 91259
Issued by : DOH Press Office
Download
National Service Framework Chapter on Arrhythmias and Sudden Cardiac Death
- Consultation Paper
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