Blood test breakthrough for deadly heart defects in kids

A BLOOD test could prevent the most common cause of sudden death among children by identifying those with a serious heart condition.

- Hanna Geissler

Hypertrophic cardiomyopathy (HCM) affects around 1,000 children and teenagers in the UK, causing thickening of the heart muscle. There is no cure but sufferers can be regularly monitored and prescribed drugs to reduce their risk of a sudden cardiac arrest or heart failure.

The test, developed University College London and Great Ormond Street Hospital, measures seven proteins in the blood which can indicate HCM.

It can also identify four proteins which indicate a greater risk of sudden death. When evaluated using data from 200 children, it was found to accurately flag those with a high susceptibility.

If further studies are successful, it is hoped the blood test could be used by the NHS to speed up diagnosis and treatment. Professor Juan Pablo.

Kaski, an expert in paediatric inherited cardiovascular medicine at the UCL and a consultant cardiologist at GOSH, said the test "could have a major impact on the care of children with this condition".