James Taylor retirement: What is ARVC?

James Taylor has been forced to retire from cricket due to a rare but serious heart condition called arrhythmogenic right ventricular cardiomyopathy (ARVC).

Here, Press Association Health Editor Jane Kirby takes a closer look at the condition.

ARVC is an inherited condition, which means it is passed on through families. It is caused by a change or mutation in one or more genes - some people may inherit the genetic mutation but not develop the condition. ARVC can affect teenagers or young adults and has been the reason for some sudden unexplained deaths in young athletes.

ARVC is usually progressive and can lead to sudden death in some cases. Most people with ARVC are at low risk of sudden cardiac death but sometimes the condition is more active - characterised by unexplained dizzy spells, sustained palpitations or blackouts - and the risk is higher.

Cells within the heart muscle are held together by proteins, but these proteins do not develop properly in people with ARVC. This leads to the detachment of the heart muscle cells, causing fatty deposits to build up as the body attempts to repair the damage. ARVC usually affects the right side of the heart and means the walls of one heart chamber become thin and stretched, which has an impact on how blood is pumped around the body and can cause abnormal heart rhythms.

According to the British Heart Foundation (BHF), it usually takes many years for the condition to develop so most people are not diagnosed until later in life. ARVC usually develops in four phases, with the first phase occurring when there are small changes in the right ventricle and the second when noticeable structural changes occur to the heart muscle that affect its ability to pump. The third phase is when pumping becomes weaker as the right ventricle becomes stretched while in the fourth phase, the left ventricle becomes affected and the heart may pump weakly on both sides.

ARVC cannot be cured, but medicines can help control abnormal heart rhythms while a procedure called catheter ablation can help destroy malfunctioning tissue and force the heart to no longer send abnormal signals. Cardioversion - using electrical shocks to "re-set" the heart - may also be used.

ARVC is one type of cardiomyopathy. Another type is hypertrophic cardiomyopathy (HCM), which affects former Bolton Wanderers footballer Fabrice Muamba. He collapsed on the pitch in 2012 and was also forced to retire early. The charity Cardiac Risk in the Young says 12 young people in the UK die of undiagnosed heart defects every week.