HEALTH chiefs have decided young, healthy people should not be screened for heart conditions such as that which nearly killed Fabrice Muamba.

The UK National Screening Committee (UK NSC) has upheld a recommendation against screening for the risk of sudden cardiac death, which happens when a healthy young person’s heart suddenly stops beating with little or no warning.

The committee considered several proposed ways of screening 12 to 39-year-olds, including electrocardiography (ECG), personal or family history and physical examinations.

But an evidence review suggested the available tests were not accurate enough to correctly identify conditions which could lead to sudden cardiac death without wrongly identifying many people with healthy hearts.

Former Bolton Wanderers midfielder Fabrice Muamba retired from the game three years ago after suffering a cardiac arrest on the pitch in March 2012.

Fabrice had been playing for the Whites in an FA Cup quarter final game at Tottenham when the fit and healthy 27-year-old’s heart stopped beating for 78 minutes.

It was later discovered Muamba suffered from genetic condition hypertrophic cardiomyopathy, an often symptomless ‘silent killer’ heart condition which is the most common cause of sudden unexpected death in children and young athletes.

The condition causes the heart muscle cells to enlarge and the walls of the heart chamber to thicken, meaning they cannot hold much blood and the walls cannot relax properly.

An undiagnosed heart condition also claimed the life of Halliwell father-of-one Ryan Cosgrove in June.

The 27-year-old died in his car in front of his fiancée on the morning of June 2 after pulling over to drop her at work.

He was found to have suffered from a heart condition which had never displayed symptoms or been picked up by doctors.

Dr Anne Mackie, Director of Programmes for the UK National Screening Committee (UK NSC), said: “In addition to concerns about the test, there were uncertainties about the overall benefit of identifying people at risk, as currently the harms seem to outweigh the benefits.

“There is no agreed treatment for someone who has been identified as being at risk and an individual may become anxious about their physical activity and stop exercising regularly, which could have a negative effect on their overall health.

“Anyone who has had palpitations, breathlessness or is related to someone who has died before 50 of unknown causes should see their GP for a personal check.”