Brugada syndrome – the silent killer

Abstract

Brugada syndrome is a rare and a possibly life-threatening inherited disease that puts patients at risk of developing abnormal and irregular heartbeats in the lower heart chambers (ventricles). This abnormality is referred to as ventricular arrhythmia. The onset of Brugada syndrome usually manifests during adulthood, although it can develop at any time throughout life. Signs and symptoms liked to arrhythmias involving sudden death could present from early infancy to late adulthood. Sudden death typically occurs approximately at the age of 40. Brugada syndrome could explain some instances related to sudden infant death (SIDS), which is the greatest cause of death in infants younger than one year. Characteristics of SIDS include a sudden and unexpected death which occurs during sleep.