The UK National Screening Committee (UK NSC) has upheld a recommendation against screening for risk of sudden cardiac death.
The committee considered the evidence behind several proposed ways of screening people aged 12 to 39, including electrocardiography (ECG), personal or family history, physical examination and a combination of these approaches.
However, an updated evidence review suggested that the available tests were not accurate enough to correctly identify conditions which could lead to sudden cardiac death without wrongly identifying many people with healthy hearts.
Dr Anne Mackie, director of programmes for the UK National Screening Committee (UK NSC), said: “In addition to concerns about the test, there were uncertainties about the overall benefit of identifying people at risk, as currently the harms seem to outweigh the benefits.
“There is no agreed treatment for someone who has been identified as being at risk and an individual may become anxious about their physical activity and stop exercising regularly, which could have a negative effect on their overall health.
“Anyone who has had palpitations, breathlessness or is related to someone who has died before 50 of unknown causes should see their GP for a personal check.”
The recommendation on risk of sudden cardiac death was made following a review of the available evidence at the June meeting of the UK NSC. At the same meeting, members of the committee recommended against introducing a national screening programme for Fragile X syndrome, a genetic condition affecting around 1 in 5,000 men and women in most western countries.
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