Committee recommends against screening for sudden cardiac death

The UK National Screening Committee has recommended against the introduction of routine screenings for sudden cardiac death in the NHS.

A review of available evidence by the committee highlights uncertainties about the overall benefit of identifying people at risk as a key reason, as it is believed that currently the harms seem to outweigh the benefits.

Moreover, the available tests are not accurate enough to correctly identify conditions which could lead to sudden cardiac death without wrongly identifying many people with healthy hearts.

Several proposed methods of screening people aged 12 to 39 were considered, including electrocardiography, personal or family history and physical examination, as well as a combination of all of these approaches.

Dr Anne Mackie, director of programmes for the UK National Screening Committee, said: "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."

Instead, anyone who has had palpitations, breathlessness or is related to someone who has died before the age of 50 of unknown causes is recommended to see their GP for a personal check.