The British Heart Foundation is funding a genetic test to identify those at risk of heart disease in Scotland and England.
National charity the British Heart Foundation is providing £1m funding to introduce a genetic test at select trusts across Scotland and England to help identify those at risk of heart disease.
The DNA blood test, previously piloted across the NHS in Wales, can identify those with an inherited genetic condition that greatly increases their risk of heart disease and other problems.
One in 500 people are believed to have familial hypercholesterolaemia (FH), a gene which causes high levels of cholesterol and greatly increases the chance of heart problems. The British Heart Foundation hopes the introduction of the DNA test will boost the number of FH diagnosesto allow clinicians to offer early treatment and save lives.
Following the successful pilot in Wales, the charity is providing £1m of funding to extend the scheme to eight trusts across Scotland and England including NHS Grampian and the South Yorkshire Cardiothoracic Centre.
Professor Steve Humphries, a professor of Cardiovascular Genetics with the British Heart Foundation, said the introduction of the DNA test offered “a huge opportunity to identify and treat people before they suffer from potentially life-threatening heart problems.”
Fellow charity Heart UK: The Cholesterol Charity has supported the efforts to diagnose those with the rare condition and called on the NHS to launch and fund the testing service nationally.
