By CAROLINE WILSON

THE number of Scots at risk of sudden death from an inherited heart condition has been “grossly underestimated,” a charity has warned.

More than 50,000 Scots are carrying a faulty gene that puts them at high risk of suffering a cardiac arrest or heart disease according to new estimates from the British Heart Foundation (BHF).

The figure is 18,000 higher than previous estimates due to better understanding of the prevalence of inherited heart conditions.

Worryingly, the charity said the majority of people affected are likely to be unaware they are at risk.

Each week in the UK, around 12 seemingly healthy people aged 35 or under are victims of sudden cardiac death with no explanation,

Experts warn the overall figure could be much higher due to under-diagnosis and undiscovered faulty genes which can increase a person’s risk of potentially fatal conditions.

Inherited heart conditions can affect people of any age, and each child of someone with an inherited heart condition can have a 50 per cent chance of inheriting the faulty gene.

Sudden death is two to four times more common in athletes.

High profile cases where athletes have suffered cardiac arrests, such as Fabrice Muamba in 2012, have often led to calls that all athletes should be regularly screened.

However the BHF say screening is not yet precise enough to accurately predict all cases.

Research has helped to discover many of the faulty genes that cause inherited heart conditions, which has led to the development of structured genetic testing services for those at highest risk.

Ross Peters, 23, from Dundee, was diagnosed in September 2015 with dilated cardiomyopathy (DCM), a disease of the heart muscle, that can be inherited, where it becomes stretched and thin and stops the heart being able to pump blood around the body efficiently.

Ross became ill suddenly while on holiday and his heart was found to be twice the size it should be.

Ross’s younger brothers Ryan, 20, and Aaron, 19, are awaiting results of tests.

Ross said: “Obviously I’m devastated that my brothers might have something wrong with them but at least we know how to tackle it. If they started displaying symptoms they’d get medical attention straight away and, as a family, we’d know how to deal with it.

“My main concern is that they don’t go through what I did.”

The charity has launched a new television campaign to raise awareness of inherited cardiac conditions. In the ad, a bridesmaid suffers a cardiac arrest due to an inherited heart condition on her sister’s wedding day.