BBC News today reported on a British Heart Foundation study that warns that 620,000 people in the UK have a faulty gene that puts them at risk of developing coronary heart disease or sudden death, and most are unaware

Royal Brompton Hospital is at the very forefront of diagnosing and treating these conditions, helping thousands of families affected. The Charity’s current One gene, all the difference appeal is raising money to expand the Genetics Testing Service to help many more people.

The report said the figure was 100,000 more than had been thought and could be even higher. Cricketer James Taylor talked on BBC Breakfast about his own experience of being diagnosed with a serious heart condition called arrhythmogenic right ventricular cardiomyopathy (ARVC). He explained how his mother has since been tested and was found to have the same faulty gene but has a low risk of developing ARVC. She knows this thanks to genetic testing.

This simply highlights why it is essential that we expand this service and why we need funds to continue this vital work.

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