Genetic Basis of Ventricular Arrhythmias

Genetic Basis of Ventricular Arrhythmias

Sudden cardiac death (SCD) is a leading cause of total and cardiovascular mortality, and ventricular fibrillation is the underlying arrhythmia in the majority of cases. In the young, where the incidence of SCD is low, a great proportion of SCDs occur in the context of inherited disorders such as cardiomyopathy or primary electrical disease, where a monogenic hereditary component is a strong det...

Genetic and Molecular Basis of Arrhythmias

Molecular basis of arrhythmias.

The characterization of single gene disorders has provided important insights into the molecular pathogenesis of cardiac arrhythmias. Primary electrical diseases including long-QT syndrome, short-QT syndrome, Brugada syndrome, and catecholaminergic polymorphic ventricular tachycardia have been associated with mutations in a variety of ion channel subunit genes that promote arrhythmogenesis. Pat...

Phenotypic Correlation of Genetic Mutations with Ventricular Arrhythmias

Much progress has been made in identifying genetic loci linked to hereditary arrhythmia syndromes over the past decade and a half. Linkage analyses for Mendelian diseases have been powerful in the discovery phases. Considerable challenges remain however, for the clinician faced with individual patients and families when the clinical symptoms are atypical or intermediate and when novel mutations...

Ventricular Arrhythmias.

Ventricular tachycardia (VT) is the most common form of wide complex tachycardia and is associated with a high mortality rate. Electrocardiographic analysis remains paramount in diagnosis and helps to direct therapy. Antiarrhythmic agents, although effective in reducing arrhythmia burden, have never demonstrated a mortality benefit. The implantable cardioverter-defibrillator aids not only in th...