A new screening centre for young people at risk of sudden cardiac death has been officially opened in Dublin.
Between 60 and 80 people under the age of 35 die from the condition in Ireland each year.
The Centre for Cardiovascular Risk in Younger Persons will operate from Tallaght Hospital with a clinic at St James's Hospital.
The centre will screen people for genes that are thought to increase the risk of the condition.
The main target group for screening will be people diagnosed with, or at risk from, heart disease at a young age, including relatives of victims of sudden cardiac death where the cause might be inherited.
Sudden cardiac death often affects elite athletes, and people taking part in high-intensity sports.
But doctors say that most young people affected die unexpectedly during routine activities or while sleeping.
The symptoms of inherited cardiac disease are unlikely to develop before adolescence, but they can include shortness of breath, palpitations, dizziness or blackouts.
People who might be at risk can be protected by implanting an internal cardioverter defibrillator, which controls abnormal heartbeats.
