Screening Reveals Hidden Heart Risk in Young Women That Can Cause Sudden Death

A major review of voluntary heart screening in the United Kingdom has revealed that routine checks are detecting hidden cardiac conditions in young women, conditions that put them at risk of sudden cardiac death despite appearing perfectly healthy.

The findings, drawn from nearly 40,000 women aged 14 to 35 who underwent heart checks over a decade, identified 175 with previously undiagnosed conditions. Among them, 94 were classified as being at high risk of sudden cardiac death, a silent threat that can strike without warning in people who show no outward symptoms.

Sudden cardiac death kills an estimated 12 young people under the age of 35 each week in the UK. While the risk has historically been associated with young men, who face roughly three times the likelihood, the new data underscores that young women are far more vulnerable than commonly assumed.

A Simple Test, A Life Saved

Kaitlin Lawrence was 22 years old and preparing for a league netball match in Surrey when she began to feel unwell. Moments later, she collapsed.

My teammates say they couldn’t revive me, and my lips were going blue, although I was still breathing, she recalled. The next thing I knew, I was in an ambulance on the way to the hospital. I’m lucky I didn’t die.

Lawrence, now 24, was diagnosed with a heart rhythm problem and fitted with an internal defibrillator, a device that has already saved her life twice by delivering an electric shock to restore normal heart function.

Her condition could have been detected earlier through a simple electrocardiogram, or ECG, which records the heart’s electrical rhythm. The test takes minutes and is non-invasive. The importance of accessible diagnostic tools in healthcare has been underscored by recent efforts in Ghana, where the Health Ministry received a donation of pulse oximeters to strengthen primary healthcare delivery.

Screening Debate Intensifies

The findings come from the voluntary screening programme run by CRY, Cardiac Risk in the Young, a charity that has been offering heart checks since the early 1990s, often working with bereaved families.

The UK National Screening Committee is currently reviewing whether all over-14s should be checked for conditions associated with sudden cardiac death. A public consultation is expected, though no date has been confirmed.

The challenge, experts say, lies in balancing the benefit of early detection against the anxiety and cost of screening large numbers of young people, the vast majority of whom have healthy hearts. The screening is not infallible either: in the latest study, 92 heart issues were missed, 28 of them considered fairly significant.

Simple acts, walking into a cold shower, stepping onto a sports field, can be enough to trigger a fatal cardiac event in someone with an undiagnosed condition. CRY notes that some sudden cardiac deaths are wrongly attributed to asthma, epilepsy, or even drowning.

Hereditary Risks

Many of the conditions linked to sudden cardiac death are inherited. When a genetic cause is suspected, the NHS offers free family screening. Lawrence’s relatives are now being tested, and several of her friends have opted to undergo checks as well.

In approximately one in 20 cases, however, no recognised cause can be identified even after investigation, a reminder of how much remains unknown about the mechanisms behind sudden cardiac death in the young.

The research was presented at the annual meeting of the British Cardiovascular Society in Manchester, where cardiologists and public health officials are grappling with how best to expand access to screening without overwhelming health services.

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