'Be vigilant and we can cut children's sudden heart deaths'

The call will be made at a conference organised by the Royal College of Physicians of Edinburgh.

The condition, which medics describe as a "hidden" disease, causes an estimated 600 deaths in children and young people in the UK each year.

Doctors say there is a range of underlying, inherited forms of heart disease, which, if not detected early, can result in sudden death.

Due to the nature of the condition, those affected can often go for years without outwardly displaying symptoms that would be commonly recognised as requiring medical treatment or investigation. Potential symptoms can be wrongly diagnosed.

Dr Andrew Grace, consultant cardiologist at Papworth Hospital in Cambridge, said: "Evidence has shown the likelihood of sudden cardiac death can be greatly reduced through the combined careful consideration of symptoms, including loss of consciousness, chest pain, breathlessness, palpitations or seizures, and the taking of a detailed family history."

Dr Grace went on: "In addition to noting a family history of heart disease, doctors and patients should pay particular attention to a family history of sudden unexplained death."