Mark Hughes' son died of sudden adult death syndrome

Mark Hughes’ son Alex Hughes died from sudden adult death syndrome, a coroner has confirmed. The 38‑year‑old was found collapsed at his home in Macclesfield, Cheshire on 19 June by his two sons. Paramedics were unable to revive him, the inquest heard. Alex had followed his father, former Wales international Mark Hughes, into football and worked in recruitment roles at Grimsby Town, Manchester City and several other clubs. Following the loss, Mark Hughes and his wife Jill said they were "totally heartbroken by the abrupt and unexpected loss of our beloved son". Sudden adult death syndrome (SADS), also referred to as abrupt arrhythmic syndrome, is diagnosed when a post‑mortem examination fails to identify a cause of death because the heart appears structurally normal. The condition affects roughly 500 people in the United Kingdom each year. According to the British Heart Foundation, SADS "usually happens when a dangerously abnormal heart beat goes untreated and leads to a cardiac arrest". The foundation added that inherited heart conditions are "often the cause of SADS if the individual who has it doesn't know they do".