Brugada syndrome epidemiology and demographics
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Editor-In-Chief: C. Michael Gibson, M.S., M.D. [1]
Overview
Insofar as Brugada syndrome is a relatively newly recognized syndrome, its incidence and prevalence continues to increase. Brugada syndrome is quite common in Southeast Asia where it is endemic, and affects 500 out of every 100,000 individuals. It is the second leading cause of death after car accidents among young people in these countries. It has been estimated that Brugada syndrome accounts for 4% of all sudden cardiac deaths and 20% of sudden cardiac deaths among patients with structurally normal hearts. It is 8-10 times more common in men.
Epidemiology and Demographics
Prevalence
The prevalence of the Brugada syndrome is estimated at 50-500:100,000, largely depending on geographic location.
Age
The average age at the time of initial diagnosis or sudden death is 40 ± 22 years, with the youngest patient diagnosed at 2 days of age and the oldest at 84 years. Brugada syndrome usually becomes apparent in adulthood, although signs and symptoms, including sudden death, can occur any time from early infancy to old age. The mean age of sudden death is approximately 40 years. This condition may explain some cases of sudden infant death syndrome (SIDS), which is a major cause of death in babies younger than one year. It is characterized by sudden and unexplained death, usually during sleep. Sudden unexplained nocturnal death syndrome (SUNDS) is a condition characterized by unexpected cardiac arrest in young adults, usually at night during sleep. This condition was originally described in Southeast Asian populations, where it is a major cause of death. Researchers have determined that SUNDS and Brugada syndrome are the same disorder.
Race
This condition occurs much more frequently in people of Asian ancestry, particularly in Japanese and Southeast Asian populations. It is the most common cause of sudden death in young men without known underlying cardiac disease in Thailand and Laos[1]. In some southeast Asian countries the disease is considered endemic and believed to be the second cause of death among young men (after car accidents). In these countries Brugada syndrome is believed to underly (in part) the sudden unexpected death syndrome (SUDS). This relation has, however, not been thoroughly investigated and there are almost no epidemiological studies into Brugada syndrome ECGs (apart from Japan). In different Asian countries, different names have been given to SUDS: in the Phillipines it is called bangungut (to rise and moan in sleep) and in Thailand lai tai (death during sleep).
Gender
Although Brugada syndrome affects both men and women, the condition appears to be 8 to 10 times more common in men. Researchers suspect that testosterone, a sex hormone present at much higher levels in men, may be responsible for this difference.
References
- ↑ Brugada J, Brugada P, Brugada R. The syndrome of right bundle branch block ST segment elevation in V1 to V3 and sudden death--the Brugada syndrome. Europace. 1999 Jul;1(3):156-66. PMID 11225790