Why Heart Screening for young people?
Teen Heart Project wants to prevent young sudden cardiac death in the UK. We do this by building awareness around YSCD and providing mobile heart health screening clinical services for 16–18-year-olds in schools and sports clubs.
What is Young Sudden Cardiac Death?
YSCD is an unexpected death due to an underlying cardiac disease, typically occurring shortly after symptom onset; many conditions occur under physical activity, especially sport.
The frequency of YSCD can be dramatically reduced by heart screening young people, especially between the ages of 16 and 18. By the age of 16 people are well into or finished puberty at which time conditions such as hypertrophic cardiomyopathy are manifest. Screening earlier, we run the risk of missing people with hypertrophic cardiomyopathy.
Not to be confused … Cardiac Arrest vs. Heart attack
Cardiac arrest is when the electrics of your heart (heartbeat) malfunction and the heart stops beating. Often there is little or no warning and often no preceding symptoms.
Heart attack is due to a blockage in the blood supply to your heart, often preceded by symptoms of chest pain.
How Prevalent is YSCD?
- The British Heart Foundation says that every week in the UK 12 people fit and healthy young people die of undiagnosed cardiac conditions. By comparison, every week 7.5 17–29-year-olds died in all types of road fatalities in 2023 (UK Government).
- The English Football Association 2018 research found 1 in 14,800 adolescent footballers suffered YSCD (6.8%); their previous estimate was 1 in 50,000.
- The American Heart Association (USA) states that sudden cardiac arrest is the leading cause of death in the U.S... including 23,000 young people under 18.
- Thankfully YSCD is rare but we can do much more to prevent it
What is Being Done About YSCD in the UK?
Major UK sports bodies support ECG screening for their academy players
Rugby Football Union
“…non-negotiable from the RFU that all Premiership Academy PDG players [16-18] have ECG screening”
Football Association
“Each year, around 1,300 academy players aged 16, undergo screening at Premier League, Championship, League One, and League Two academies.”
England Hockey
“We strongly advise for athletes aged 16 years and over on an England/GB to have undertaken cardiac screening”
World Netball
“ Cardiac screening is recommended for all players aged 16 and over”
However other active 16–18-year-olds do not get the same level of care
- Unless in elite academy-based sport, heart health screening is not available for 16–18-year-olds
- UK Government stats confirm 73% UK 16-25 participate in intense physical activity each week (>150 minutes); this is higher in school age 16–18-year-olds
- UK NHS does not provide health screening for 16 to18 year olds (unless family history justifies)
- UK Government provisioned a defibrillator in every state school in 2023
- British Heart Foundation’s 2024 “The Dream until I Died Campaign” has highlighted the issue of YSCD amongst young footballers
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