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 A
Flintshire politician
is backing the Bill to ensure no more young lives are lost to sudden
cardiac death.
Alyn and Deeside MP Mark Tami is calling for the smooth passage of
legislation to help detect the condition which claims the lives of up to
eight apparently healthy young people every week in the UK.
A
Bill was debated by the House of Commons last Friday, calling for
effective, automatic screening on the NHS for all high-risk families.
It is being supported by,
Connah’s Quay, CRY (Cardiac Risk in the Young) campaigner Doreen Harley,
who lost her daughter Lisa to the condition.
The Bill has already
received widespread backing from MPs across the country, and from a number
of sports personalities, including Ian Botham and Welsh rugby star Rob
Jones
Chief executive and CRY
founder Alison Cox said: ”Sudden death in young people can no longer be
ignored by health professionals or the Government.
“This is a great chance
for us to raise the profile of this condition.
It can affect anyone, which is why it’s so vital to have national
action in addition to the clinics we’ve set up.”
The charity CRY has
helped to set up six pioneering clinics across the UK.
It believes that many
such deaths could be avoided if basic cardiac screening was widely
available.
But reports suggest that
many young people at risk, such as those with a family history of sudden
death or those who experience the warning signs such as blackouts, are
still not being referred for further tests and are dismissed as ‘too
young’ to have heart problems.
Speaking at the
charity’s Parliamentary reception at the House of Commons, Mark Tami
said: “Tragically, many MPs across Britain will know of at least one
family who has been affected by this condition and it is vital we do
everything we can to support the introduction of legislation to stop these
terrible tragedies.”
Dari Taylor MP, who is
piloting the Bill, added: “I am very grateful for Mark Tami’s support.
The response across all parties has been fantastic, and with the
nationwide network of CRY supporters, I am confident we can cut the number
of appalling and unnecessary deaths from sudden cardiac death”
In about one in 20 cases
of sudden cardiac death, no recognised cause can be found-even after a
port-mortem examination. This
is then called Sudden Arrhythmic Death Syndrome (SADS).
Many experts are now
claiming that the actual number of deaths could just be ‘the tip of the
iceberg’ with many cases being wrongly recorded as asthma,
epilepsy or even drowning.
Clinics will open at the
Olympic Medical Institute, Colchester Hospital, Leeds Nuffield Hospital,
Ultrasound Imaging Edinburgh, RJAH Hospital Oswestry and Sandhurst Group
Medical Practice. All young
people (aged between14-35) can have the tests.
If necessary, follow up
help and advice will be provided by CRY experts and their GP informed,
although they do not need to have been initially referred by their
doctor.
People
can apply for testing at their nearest clinic via CRY head office or
download an application form from the CRY Website (www.c-r-y.org.uk).
For a heavily subsidised charge of just £35, people referred to
Colchester or Sandhurst can have an ECG (and follow up Echo-cardiogram if an
abnormality is detected) or for £200, have an ECG, Echo and consultation
with a cardiologist-a fraction of the normal cost.
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