AN estimated 25,000 people in the North-East are carrying a faulty gene that puts them at high risk of developing coronary heart disease or sudden death.
Worryingly, the majority of people affected are undiagnosed and unaware that they may be at risk of a deadly heart attack.
A study by the British Heart Foundation has found evidence that the risk is higher than was previously estimated.
Professor Sir Nilesh Samani, Medical Director at the British Heart Foundation, said: “The reality is that there are an estimated 620,000 people in the UK and around 25,000 people in the North-East specifically who are unaware that they could be at risk of sudden death.
“If undetected and untreated, inherited heart conditions, can be deadly and they continue to devastate families, often by taking away loved ones without warning.
“BHF-funded researchers have discovered some of the genes responsible for these frightening conditions but there is still much to do”.
He added: “We urgently need to fund more research to better understand these heart conditions, make more discoveries, develop new treatments and save more lives.”
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