Sudden Arrhythmic Death Syndrome (SADS)

This week is SADS Awareness Week.   SADS is a heart condition, often hidden, which can claim the lives of young people and can affect people while taking part in sport or exercise.

SADS Awareness Week is an annual event and this year includes a Marvellous Medicine talk on responding to SADS, another about sudden cardiac death in sport, and a Friday Forum for UHL staff to raise awareness of SADS. 

For UHL colleagues, the intranet, InSite, has for more about SADS Awareness Week.

Joe Humphries, a local lad, tragically died at the age of 14 while jogging, with no prior symptoms, and the Joe Humphries Memorial Trust works to promote research and education.

For more information about SADS, try these:

• Patient.info's page for health professionals page about Sudden cardiac death.
  
• Information about British Heart Foundation’s research into SADS, with a link to a booklet for families who have lost a member to SADS.
  
• Cardiac Risk in the Young, a UK based support organisation.    and SADS UK.   CRYs booklets about the underlying causes of sudden cardiac death and information for families who have lost a member are here.
  
• SADS UK, another UK based support organisation.  Their information about the underlying cardiac conditions that can cause SADS is here.

The causes listed by SADS UK are:

• Arrhythmogenic Right Ventricle Dysplasia (ARVD)
• Brugada Syndrome
• Catecholaminergic Polymorphic Ventricular Tachycardia (CPVT)
• Hypertrophic Cardiomyopathy (HCM)
• Long QT Syndrome (LQT)
• Short QT Syndrome
• Wolff Parkinson White Syndrome (WPW)

Try a search of NHS Choices or NICE Evidence Search for a cause to find more.  If you work at UHL, the Clinical Librarian Service can search the literature for you.  Please contact us if we can help.