The Brugada syndrome is a heart disorder that rarely has an outward manifestation and can go undiagnosed almost your entire life and also be the cause of death by a heart attack at a young age. The Brugada syndrome is responsible for as much as 50 per cent of untimely deaths with an apparently good heart.
The Brugada syndrome symptoms include erratic heart beats or arrhythmia and in severe cases even fainting. The arrhythmia is the main symptom for the Brugada syndrome. Every time your heart beats, it pumps blood into the body. One defective channel in the heart can result in insufficient blood being pumped out. Fainting, also called syncope, or sudden stopping of the heart or cardiac arrest are also symptoms for the Brugada syndrome. If you faint or if your heart stops, you would need immediate medical attention.
This is syndrome is called the Brugada syndrome as the irregular heart beat pattern is of a particular type. It was discovered by a Spanish cardiologist called Pedro Brugada. This syndrome is the cause for death by unexplained cardiac arrest in South Asian young men.
If your family has a history of heart problem or even the Brugada syndrome, it is a reason enough to get yourself checked by a doctor. The symptoms for the Bruguda syndrome are also the symptoms for other heart rhythm disorders. If you are male and constantly are running a fever, you should schedule an ECG.
The Brugada syndrome can only be diagnosed with the help of an Electrocardiogram or an ECG or EKG. The different in heart pattern is not always spotted and occasionally a dye is also injected. There are three different patterns in diagnosing a Brugada syndrome from an ECG. Among the different patterns on the ECG, three patterns signify the Brugada syndrome. These arrhythmias appear with no warning which makes it a dicey syndrome to have, especially undiagnosed. There are many other heart conditions that have similar symptoms and should be kept in mind when diagnosing the Brugada syndrome. Patients who have lived through a cardiac arrest, documented and sustained arrhythmia or who have a high risk of being cardiac patients are all susceptible to Brugada syndrome. Hearts that get diagnosed with the Bruguda syndrome rarely have any structural defect, making it more difficult to diagnose.
The treatment for Brugada syndrome does use some of the existing heart drugs but it is important that the patient and doctor be very sure of the condition. Interchanging drugs can sometimes prove fatal. The most important part of the treatment is not letting the heart stop if it does go into a sudden cardiac arrest. This is done with the help of a surgical procedure of implanting an Implantable Cardioverter Defibrillator or an ICD. This device continually monitors the heart beat and rectifies an irregular heartbeat as needed. Recent research has shown that there is a drug that can also do the job of monitoring and rectifying irregular heartbeats.
It is a relatively new disease, only really discovered in the late 1980s but it has been around longer in South East Asian countries. The incidence of this syndrome is higher in south Asian males. In Thailand, there is a name for this disease. It is called Lai Tai or death during sleep. In Philippines it is called Bangungut or scream followed by sudden death, especially while sleeping. In Japan is it is known as Pokkuri. While many of people started immigrating, the incidence and knowledge of this condition spread all over the world. It has also been reported in cocaine users or patients who overdose on anti depressants. Also all patients with Brugada syndrome will not necessarily have the Brugada syndrome.