Brugada Syndrome – All you need to know about this heart rhythm disorder

New Delhi: Medical doctors warned that people with a family history of Brugada Syndrome - a heart rhythm disorder - have 70 percent higher chances of developing the same life threatening problem.

Brugada Syndrome is an uncommon, but serious heart condition, which doctors say can also be explained as sudden cardiac arrest without any symptoms.

Brugada Syndrome can result in abnormally rapid heart rhythms called arrhythmias, which can cause palpitations or fainting and can be fatal.

Since Brugada Syndrome does not have any symptoms, patients with repeated symptoms of fainting, irregular heartbeats or palpitations and extremely fast and chaotic heartbeats should consult doctors.

"In this syndrome, special cells in the right upper chamber of the heart trigger electrical impulses, which are directed by tiny pores known as channels to make a heartbeat. A defect in these channels can cause the heart to beat abnormally and spin electrically out of control in an abnormally fast and dangerous rhythm (ventricular fibrillation) causing Brugada Syndrome," said Subhash Chandra, Chairman and Head of Cardiology at city-based BLK Super Specialty Hospital.

Explaining further, Chandra said that during Brugada Syndrome, there is ineffective pumping of the heart that causes insufficiency of blood supply to the rest of the body.

"This causes fainting if the rhythm lasts for only a short time or sudden cardiac death if the heart remains in that bad rhythm," added Chandra.

Talking about the causes of Brugada Syndrome, Shashank Gupta with the cardiology department at the Ram Manohar Lohia Hospital said: "Although people are born with it, they usually do not know they have it until they reach their 30s or 40s."

"Brugada Syndrome usually is diagnosed in adults and, sometimes, in adolescents. It's rarely diagnosed in young children. If other family members have had Brugada Syndrome, then there is a high chances of having the condition."

Doctors said that Brugada Syndrome is more common among men and can only be detected on an ECG with abnormal patterns known as type 1 Brugada ECG pattern.

Besides family history, risk factors for Brugada syndrome include being male, race – more frequently in Asians – fever. Although having a fever doesn't cause Brugada syndrome by itself, it can irritate the heart and stimulate a Brugada-triggered faint or sudden cardiac arrest, especially in children.

(With IANS inputs)