A Glenrothes couple are helping to launch a new campaign to raise awareness of the disease which claimed the life of their s1on nearly three years ago.

Maggie and Andrew Tait of Finglassie are supporting the bid by Fife MEP Catherine Stihler to have Sudden Adult Death Syndrome officially recognised by the World Health Organisation.

The move comes after the MEO travelled with supporters to the European parliament in Brussels last week to kick start the initiative.

The Tait’s became involved in the campaign after their 26-year-old son Andy passed away suddenly from a form of heart failure in February 2001, after complaining of heart palpitations the night before.

Andy had been a fit, young policeman with a promising career ahead of him.  He was also a keen sportsman and enjoyed playing football and golf.

The former Auchmuty High pupil’s death was officially recorded as heart failure, but his devastated parents couldn’t understand how he had died.

It was only afterwards they realised there had been signs as despite his fitness, Andy was often unable to play a full 90 minutes of football and became breathless easily.

“It was after Andy’s death we found out about the disease through the heart disease charity (CRY (Cardiac Risk in the Young),” Maggie said.

“We logged on to the website and got a lot of information because we did not know what Andy had died from – he never had any illnesses in his life.  We discovered that this syndrome seemed to affect young, athletic people.  When we say so many young people were dying we knew there was obviously a problem.”

Andrew, a former sergeant in the Force’s traffic department said: “Statistics from CRY show that every week four to eight fit and healthy young people die of heart related problems in the UK,” he said.

“This is why this campaign is extremely important to us because of the trauma we went through after Andy’s death – we don’t want other families to go through the same thing.  We feel every child should have an echocardiogram which can diagnose whether there’s a heart condition or not.

A recent screening programme in the Western Isles saw 5400 children tested and this resulted in 15 people being diagnosed with heart defects.

Maggie added: “We are campaigning to try and get the World Health Organisation to categorise this so research can be carried out and we can get funding for these echocardiogram machines.  It only costs £34 to have each child tested.”

Labour’s health spokesperson in the European parliament, Catherine Stihler, told the Gazette: “The death of 26-year-old Andy Tait, a policeman and a fit, talented footballer is a vivid reminder that this syndrome can affect anyone, even those who seem most healthy.

“It is only by naming this syndrome that we can edge closer to understanding the causes, risk factors and put preventative strategies in place.  Prior experience with cot deaths indicates that this approach could have a major impact.

“The UK’s Office of National Statistics must make the case to the World Health Organisation (WHO) to recognise sudden unexplained deaths in your people by a specific name in its International Disease Code.”