Gene screening hope for athletes
Wednesday June 10th, 2015
Athletes could be offered genetic screening to identify if they are at risk of sudden heart attacks, it was revealed today.
Researchers
revealed how they already screening high risk families for a gene linked
to the problem.
The research at Manchester University, UK, has centred on a gene discovered in 2001. The gene causes calcium channels in heart cells to malfunction.
The research has now linked the gene to the rare condition CPVT or catecholaminergic polymorphic ventricular tachycardia.
The condition is known to be responsible for some of the sudden deaths that affect athletes and others undertaking strenuous exercise.
The research was being reported at the conference of the British Cardiovascular Society in Manchester, UK, today.
Researchers are seeking to establish the extent to which the gene is responsible for serious sudden heart arrhythmias - heart rhythm problems.
Researcher Professor David Eisner said: “People who are prone to sudden arrhythmias often die young. Survivors may have an internal defibrillator fitted at a young age, to shock their heart back into a regular heartbeat if needed but the device does not last forever and needs replacing as the child or young person grows.
“A better understanding of what goes wrong inside the heart during an arrhythmia is crucial to finding the genes that can cause abnormal heart rhythms, and developing better treatments for people at risk of the tragedy of sudden cardiac death.”
Professor Jeremy Pearson, of the British Heart Foundation, added: "We know that screening doesn’t find everyone with the genes that can make them prone to sudden cardiac death and we urgently need more research to understand the causes of these rare, but potentially fatal, arrhythmias.”
Patient Daniel Whittaker, aged 29, from Rossendale, Lancashire, UK, said: “Research like this meant that I could get genetic testing and a proper diagnosis for CPVT. It also meant that members of my family could get tested.
"Now that we know my dad and daughter both carry the CPVT gene and are at risk of a cardiac arrest, they’re getting the treatment they need to help stop that from happening."
Tags: Fitness | Genetics | Heart Health | UK News
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