NATIONAL charity activists have highlighted the need for increased awareness of a rare heart condition that struck a Kidderminster mother.

A founder member of CRY - Cardiac Risk in the Young - hit out at district doctors for failing to diagnose cardio myopathy, a weakness of the heart muscle, in Donna Davidson, 19, when she was pregnant earlier this year.

Roy Ball said it was "unbelievable" the problem was not identified when at least four young people a week die nationally from cardio myopathy and other heart defects.

Miss Davidson visited the out-of-hours Primary Care Centre at Kidderminster Hospital on three consecutive days in August before GPs referred her to Worcestershire Royal Hospital where the illness was diagnosed.

She has since given birth and undergone a heart transplant.

"I find it almost impossible to believe there are still doctors who appear to deny cardio myopathy when the majority of heart transplants are caused through it," said Mr Ball, 66, of Birmingham.

"CRY has sent a CD-ROM to every doctor in Britain in the last year."

Mr Ball's son Andrew collapsed and died aged 16 while playing football in 1980.

The charity estimates 10,000 people in the UK have hypertrophic cardio myopathy - the most common cause of sudden death in the under 30s. It leads to thickening of the heart muscle.

Another victim was 15-year-old Bewdley High School pupil Robert Poysor who died in 1996 while on a bike ride with friends.

His mother, Diane Tolley, since raised £5,000 for an electrocardiogram (ECG) machine for Bewdley Medical Centre.

"The fortunate ones are those who show symptoms like Donna," said Mrs Tolley, 55, of New Road, Bewdley.

"It's all about raising awareness. Ideally the thing to do would be to screen youngsters at school so no-one slips through the net."

Wyre Forest MP Dr Richard Taylor defended the Primary Care Centre for not picking up Miss Davidson's "very rare" condition.

"National awareness of cardio mypathy is being heightened but there is so much GPs have to know about everything that this sort of thing could still be missed."

He said the case highlighted the need for a district medical assessment unit staffed by consultant physicians with echocardiogram equipment. ECG machines would "not necessarily" detect heart defects, Dr Taylor added.

For further information visit the CRY website at www.c-r-y.org.uk.