Brugada Syndrome

What Is Brugada Syndrome?

Brugada syndrome is a hereditary condition (one you are born with) that affects the electrical system of the heart, causing an abnormal heart rhythm. Patients with Brugada syndrome develop ventricular tachycardia, a condition where the heart beats too quickly to maintain normal blood flow.

In some cases, Brugada syndrome can be life-threatening and may come about with little warning.

Brugada syndrome and your heartbeat

Normally, with every heartbeat:

1. An electrical signal travels through the heart in a highly controlled fashion.
2. The signal activates each portion of the heart.
3. The heart resets to allow the next beat to follow.

The proteins that regulate this process are called ion channels. They regulate the flow of sodium, potassium, chloride, calcium, magnesium, and other molecules across heart cells. When there is an abnormality in these ion channels, it can cause Brugada syndrome.

Learn more about causes of Brugada syndrome.

Brugada syndrome was first described in 1992. Doctors found that a series of patients who had died suddenly had similar, peculiar abnormalities on their electrocardiogram (ECG), a heart rhythm test. Doctors later discovered that many of these patients had abnormal function of their sodium ion channels.

Brugada syndrome: Who it affects

Brugada syndrome is rare. Although the number of patients with the condition is difficult to measure, approximately four out of 1,000 people in the U.S. have ECG findings of Brugada syndrome. The average age at diagnosis is 42, but the condition can present itself at any age. There may be a genetic component as well.

You are at higher risk for this condition if you are:

• A man
• Of Asian descent, though those of European background can also be affected

Diagnosing Brugada syndrome

Most patients do not experience any symptoms until their first episode of ventricular tachycardia, making it difficult to diagnose Brugada syndrome. While many heart tests may show normal results, patients with Brugada syndrome generally have a similar, unusual pattern on their ECG test that leads to the diagnosis.

Learn more about diagnosing Brugada syndrome.

Treating Brugada syndrome

There is no cure for this condition. The most effective treatment is an implantable cardioverter defibrillator (ICD), a device that treats the arrhythmia (abnormal heartbeat). Learn more about treatment for Brugada syndrome.