Brugada syndrome

Brugada syndrome is an inherited disorder of the heart's electrical system, caused most often by mutations in the SCN5A gene that governs cardiac sodium channels. The condition disrupts normal electrical signaling in the heart muscle, raising the risk of dangerous fast heart rhythms and sudden cardiac death, often in people who appear otherwise healthy. Roughly one in four affected individuals inherits the mutation from a parent in an autosomal dominant pattern, while others develop it from a new mutation or as a reaction to certain medications. Episodes of fainting or cardiac arrest often strike during sleep or rest, and can be triggered by fever, heavy alcohol use, or drugs such as cocaine. The condition was first linked to sudden cardiac death in 1989 by the Italian cardiologists Bruno Martini and Antonio Nava, and it was formally described and named in 1992 by the Spanish brothers Pedro and Josep Brugada, whose family name it carries. Diagnosis relies on a distinctive electrocardiogram pattern, and treatment for those at high risk typically involves an implantable cardioverter defibrillator.