Exciting new research presented at the annual conference of the British Cardiovascular Society (BCS): 1 – 3 June 2026
According to a new, CRY-funded study (an important subsidiary of the seminal research paper published earlier this year in the Journal of the American College of Cardiology), young women should be encouraged to attend cardiac screening sessions with greater awareness needed to ensure that these so called ‘hidden killers’ are not just perceived as a risk to young ‘sporty men’.
A key message coming out of the 2026 BCS conference was that “heart disease doesn’t discriminate by sex” – a notion underpinned by the study which was presented by Dr Jonathan Hedges, MSc student based at the University of East Anglia, in partnership with a leading research team at City St George’s, University of London.
The paper reviewed almost 40,000 women aged between 14 and 35 years who had undergone cardiac screening through CRY’s national screening programme, over a 10-year period.
9% of young women that were ‘flagged’ as needing a referral for further evaluation were discovered to have a condition associated with sudden cardiac arrest and sudden cardiac death – clearly highlighting the huge importance of screening in asymptomatic females.
The evaluation, which consisted of a health questionnaire, 12-lead ECG and selective echocardiography, as well as a consultation with an attending cardiologist, identified 1,056 females (aged 14 to 35) for further investigation. Of these, 175 were diagnosed with a cardiac condition, including 94 with a disorder associated with sudden cardiac death (SCD)– during the follow-up period (mean 6.0+2.5 years).
A further 92 were diagnosed with a cardiac condition, of which 28 were identified with a condition associated with SCD. For further context, the incidence of sudden cardiac arrest (SCA) / SCD was 2.3/100,000 person-years.
Dr Louise Buchanan, from the British Cardiovascular Society, said:
“What the study shows us as clinicians is that cardiac screening is an incredibly important component of patient care. We know that women in the UK are underrepresented, undertreated, and importantly, underdiagnosed in clinical areas of cardiovascular care.”
CEO of Cardiac Risk in the Young, Dr Steven Cox, adds;
“While much of the public perception around heart disease and sudden cardiac arrest focuses on older men – and indeed, young male athletes – these findings remind us that potentially serious cardiac conditions can be identified in young women too, including those who are not competitive athletes and who would otherwise consider themselves healthy.
“The numbers in this study are particularly significant. Among a cohort of very young to young adult women who underwent voluntary cardiac screening, the overwhelming majority were non-athletes and yet a proportion were still found to have conditions requiring further investigation, including disorders associated with an increased risk of sudden cardiac arrest and death. These are individuals who may never have come to medical attention without screening.
“Importantly, this research sits within the context of the larger study published in JACC earlier this year, which analysed the outcomes of more than 104,000 young people undergoing cardiac evaluation. Large-scale screening programmes such as this provide an invaluable opportunity not only to identify individuals at risk, but also to answer important clinical questions about how cardiovascular disease presents across different populations. By examining subsets of that larger dataset, researchers can uncover findings that may otherwise remain hidden, including differences related to sex, age, ethnicity, sporting participation and underlying cardiac conditions.
“We know that women have historically been underrepresented in cardiovascular research and, as a result, are too often underdiagnosed and undertreated. Research such as this helps address those gaps by improving our understanding of cardiovascular risk in young women and challenging misconceptions about who is affected by heart disease. Heart conditions do not discriminate by sex, and neither should our efforts to detect them.
“CRY funded research has already shown the substantial value of screening more than 104,000 young people, generating evidence that informs clinical practice, supports earlier diagnosis and ultimately helps save lives. Continued study, using these large datasets will be essential to ensuring that cardiovascular care becomes increasingly equitable, evidence-based and effective for all young people.”
