Genetic screening may help prevent heart-related deaths

Heart researchers are aiming to set up a national screening program to help prevent sudden death in young people.

Each year in Australia hundreds of people under the age of 35 die suddenly and an exact cause of death is never identified.

But the head of the Molecular Cardiology Group at Sydney University, associate professor Chris Semsarian, says the group's research shows that in many cases, genetic cardiovascular problems were most likely to blame.

He says scientists want to set up a national program where the relatives of those who have died are screened to determine if particular genes cause sudden death.

"Initially the screening program would involve those families, however the overall goal of course is that if we can identify a set of genes that cause sudden death," Dr Semsarian said.

"Then in the general population there may be signs that you might think, well, this person may or may not be at risk of sudden death."