Brugada syndrome: why are there multiple answers to a simple question?

In 1986, two young brothers who survived documented cardiac arrests exhibited a specific electrocardiographic pattern providing a link to sudden death. Similar observations in other individuals led to the original description in 1992 of the syndrome consisting of right bundle branch block, ST-segment elevation in leads V1 to V3, and sudden death with structurally normal heart—ie, the Brugada syndrome.1 This syndrome has stimulated research in many centers. What before was an electrocardiographic pattern resembling early repolarization has now become a marker for increased risk of sudden death. Fortunately, this observation coincided with an outpouring of molecular research in cardiology and with the success already encountered in identifying the genetic basis of other arrhythmic diseases. Brugada syndrome likely will continue to benefit from the application of genomics. In just 10 years, the disease has become widely recognized, and researchers in multiple disciplines in basic and clinical research have come together to decipher its pathogenesis.