One of the country’s leading experts on Sudden Cardiac Death is backing a North-East family’s call for greater awareness of a killer heart condition. 

The specialist, Dr Mary Sheppard, also revealed unpublished research which suggests that Sudden Cardiac Death claims many more lives in the UK every year than was previously suspected. 

Earlier this week, the parents of Anne-Marie and Daniel Readshaw, from Ferryhill, County Durham, called for action on the rare heart condition thought to have caused the death of the two 13-year-olds. 

Now Dr Sheppard, a leading consultant pathologist at the Royal Brompton Heart Hospital in London, has added her voice to the call for action after the youngsters died in separate incidents while swimming. 

Kath Conway, grandmother of the two Readshaw children, said: “It is wonderful news that people like Dr Sheppard are on our side.  We didn’t realised there are a lot of deaths like Anne-Marie and Daniel.” 

The consultant, who helped diagnose the rare Long QT Syndrome – which can be triggered by exposure to cold water or loud noises – wants the Government to introduce wide-spread screening of school children with suspicious symptoms and to set up a fully-funded referral system so pathologists uncertain of a sudden death can refer cases to an expert panel.

At the moment, the Department of Health says Sudden Cardiac Death Syndrome claims about 400 lives a year.  

But unpublished research funded by the British Heart Foundation suggests the total is much higher. 

The consultant also revealed what she described as the “haphazard” way in which suspected Sudden Cardiac Death cases are investigated in the UK, as there are no established channels to put pathologists in touch with specialists. 

Dr Sheppard was asked to assist North-East pathologist Dr Nigel Cooper in the Readshaw case but was unpaid for this particular piece of work. 

“As a specialist pathologist with an interest in this area, I get cases referred to me on a weekly basis, but I am not normally funded to do this work,” she said. 

As part of a new group which will advise the Government on ways to improve detection and treatment of sudden deaths caused by Arrythmia (disturbance of the heart’s natural rhythm), Dr Sheppard will press for a properly-funded system so pathologists could refer such deaths to an expert panel. 

The consultant’s call for improving screening of children was backed by Alison Cox, of heart charity CRY (Cardiac Risk in the Young). 

CRY has been pushing for electrocardiogram tests on school children for years. 

“I believe that many cases of Long QT Syndrome are missed.  They are just put down as drownings,” said Mrs Cox.  “This is partly an ageism problem.  If a child of 15 goes to a GP complaining about breathlessness, fainting or a pounding heart, the last thing the doctor will think of is a heart problem.  I want that to stop.” 

North-East MP Dari Taylor’s threat to push through her own Bill supporting CRY resulted in the Department of Health setting up a group to look at policy development in this area. 

A Department of Health spokeswoman said: “The expert group will meet for the first time in October.  The intention is to publish a new National Service Framework chapter on Arrhythmias and Sudden Cardiac Death by the end of March, 2005.” 

Graham Archard, spokesman for the Royal College of General Practitioners, said: “Where repeated and unexplained fainting – which, although a relatively common condition, can be a symptom of a heart problem – is presented to them, we could urge GP’s to refer patients for an ECG.  After all, it is better to be safe than sorry.”