Centre to screen for cardiac risk in young people

A LIFE-SAVING centre that screens for cardiac risk in young people has opened in Tallaght hospital.

The Centre for Cardiovascular Risk in Younger Persons aims to screen a minimum of 1,600 young patients annually, eventually building to 3,000 screenings every year.

The innovative centre is supported by the charity Cardiac Risk in the Young (CRY) which provides information, education and counselling services. The centre itself received no State money and was funded largely through fundraising and private donors.

The main target group for screening will be people diagnosed with, or at risk from, heart disease at a young age. This includes relatives of victims of sudden cardiac death where the cause may be inherited.

More than 5,000 people suffer sudden cardiac death in Ireland every year, of which 60 to 80 are under the age of 35. Cardiac disease in young people is primarily due to inherited heart disease or birth defects. Awareness of sudden cardiac death has increased in recent years due to the due to the deaths of sports stars like Cormac McAnallen.

While the facilities to diagnose heart disease are available in most hospitals, up to now services for screening and supporting relatives of those who died suddenly have not been readily available.

Speaking on RTÉ radio yesterday, Michael Greene, one of the founders of CRY, said the opening was a huge day for families of people diagnosed with heart disease or who have lost a loved one through sudden cardiac death.

Mr Greene said the reason for his involvement in the campaign was the loss of his 15-year-old son Peter to sudden cardiac death.

“Peter exhibited no signs beforehand and he took ill on the night he finished his Junior Cert. I was away. My wife heard him moan at about 3.30am in the morning. He expressed that he had a pain in his chest and that he couldn’t see her and put simply he was dead in an hour,” he said.

Mr Greene said the centre would offer reassurance to families who have lost a relative to sudden cardiac death and fear that another member of their family may be susceptible.

“Not all cases will be successful but people’s lives can be saved through this process,” he said.

Access to the centre is by referral from a GP or local consultant. Patients can be referred from anywhere in the country and the service is free of charge.

* www.cry.ie