Brugada Syndrome

What is Brugada Syndrome?

Brugada syndrome, sudden death is caused by ventricular fibrillation, a potentially lethal arrhythmia in the heart. This is a major cause for sudden death of young men, without any known underlying cardiac diseases. This is widely found in men of South and South-East Asian origin. 

Symptoms

A few symptoms that could be experienced are:

  • Seizure
  • Syncope or fainting spells
  • Pounding or fluttering in the chest
  • Shortness of breath
  • Arrhythmias that occur during sleep

Causes

Typically, Brugada syndrome has a genetic cause. Sometimes, it may also be acquired from the environment. These factors may be certain medications. However, researchers are of the opinion that the medication can only trigger what was already in the gene.

Risks

You are at a risk of developing Brugada syndrome if you have a family history of the syndrome or if you are a male from Asian origin.

Prevention

This is an inherited disorder and nothing much can be done for prevention.

How is it diagnosed?

When your physician at Medanta suspects that you have Brugada syndrome, you might be referred to a cardiologist or electrophysiologist. An electrophysiologist is a cardiologist that specializes in ...

How is it treated?

At Medanta, Brugada syndrome gets treated in two possible ways:

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  • Electrophysiology study

    This is a special technique that an electrophysiologist uses to study the electrical system in your heart. Catheters, long floppy wires, are placed in your heart, to study the activities of the heart. It paces the heart too if required. The findings of the study are then used to find the effect of medications. Although no treatments are performed the Electrophysiology lab, the study reveals valuable information. It could let you know how risky your situation is. It could tell you the possibility of repetition of you fainting or even of death. If your doctor has prescribed it for you, you have to let the doctor know what other medications you are under. They have to be stopped a day to a week before the test is performed on you.

  • Implantable Cardioverter Defibrillator

    An Implantable Cardioverter Defibrillator is a tiny device the size of a pager. With improvements in the field of technology, this device is getting smaller and smaller. An ICD is implanted to your skin. It can detect your heartbeat and monitor it continuously. It can prevent the kind of arrhythmia responsible for syncope or sudden death. If the device finds out arrhythmia, it sends out electrical impulses to the heart. This shock sends your heart back to normal rhythm. When implanted with an ICD, the rate of death in patients has been found to be zero percent, with up to 10 years of follow up and monitoring.

When do I contact the doctor?

You have to consult a cardiologist when you have palpitations in your heart or irregular heartbeats.

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How does Medanta provide care?

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