Beware of sudden death in young people

Although the disease has been born since birth, Brugada syndrome only manifests itself in the age of 30-40 with the only symptoms of syncope or sudden death, requiring screening for early diagnosis and prevention.

Sudden death in young people can be caused by many causes, including a fairly well-known condition of Brugada syndrome. The heart of people who can operate without pause during their lifetime is thanks to an electric conduction system that operates according to very precise conditioning mechanisms.

Brugada syndrome is a rare inherited disease that affects the electrical conduction system in the heart. People carry the disease from birth, but only manifest at age 30–40. The only symptoms of the disease are fainting or sudden death.

Electrophysiological exploration to diagnose Brugada syndrome at HCMC University of Medicine and Pharmacy.(Photo: TA)

The cause of Brugada syndrome

Heart rate is maintained by electrical impulses that are emitted regularly from a metronome center, through the electrical conduction system to reach the heart muscle. These conduction cells work by an ion channel - allowing positive and negative charged particles to pass through the heart muscle cell membrane.

In patients with Brugada syndrome, one of these ion channels is defective, one-third of patients have a defect in a specific ion channel called SCN5A . This defect can disrupt the conduction of the heart and cause a type of arrhythmia that can jeopardize the life of a patient called ventricular fibrillation . When ventricular fibrillation occurs, the patient's heart is disordered, out of order, very fast rhythm, about 200–300 times / minute making the heart unable to pump blood to the body. The first organ to respond to this condition is the brain, which explains the symptoms of syncope in these patients.

Brugada syndrome is a genetic disease, passed from generation to generation in a family. In about a third of cases, doctors can identify the gene that causes the disease, but the remaining cases so far have not found genetic disorders that cause this dangerous disease.

The disease usually occurs in men more than women, most are diagnosed in adults aged 25 to 50. Asians have a higher incidence of disease than other races.

The disease can be detected through a number of diagnostic devices such as electrocardiography, electrophysiological exploration. Currently, the only proven treatment is to place a device called an electric shock device that moves the rhythm into the body. This device will monitor the patient's heart rate and will generate electrical shock pulses when needed to control dangerous arrhythmias, especially ventricular fibrillation.

Patients with Brugada syndrome can have normal lives. Whether or not an electromechanical shock absorber is placed, patients should always check with their doctor to make sure their condition is well controlled. Because Brugada is an inherited disease, patients' family members also need screening to diagnose early and prevent the risk of sudden death.