Scientists find genes indicating who has the highest risk of sudden cardiac death

By Pol Allingham via SWNS

People at the greatest risk of sudden cardiac death (SCD) can now be identified following a new discovery.

Scientists from Smidt Heart Institute at Cedars-Sinai, Los Angeles have found genes indicating who is most vulnerable.

SCD causes about 325,000 adult deaths in the USA each year, according to the Cleveland Clinic.

They discovered that patients with coronary heart disease that has not severely damaged the heart’s function were genetically the most at risk of sudden cardiac death, with a 77 percent higher chance than the average person.

The study's first author Dr. Roopinder Sandhu, an Associate Professor of Cardiology, said: “In order to better predict and prevent sudden cardiac death, we must first understand the genetic connection between it and coronary artery disease.

“We found incorporating information from this genetic risk score improved our ability to predict sudden death beyond the contributions of other known risk markers.

“Most exciting, the genetics were able to identify patients where sudden death was more likely to limit their life expectancy.

Heart attacks differ from SCD. They are caused by clogged coronary arteries reducing blood flow to the heart muscle, SCD results from sudden, erratic electrical activity that damages the organ’s pump.

Patients usually die within minutes if there’s no resuscitation.

The research team at Smidt Heart Institute at Cedars-Sinai hopes their discovery will identify patients who would be helped by lifesaving treatments, like a defibrillator, who don’t currently qualify.

Currently, about 70 percent of sudden cardiac deaths occur in patients who do not qualify for a defibrillator, and the study says most people who develop sudden cardiac death were neglected by contemporary healthcare practice.

At the same time, those with advanced heart disease - less at risk than those with heart disease that hasn't impaired the heart's function - are receiving defibrillators where they might not need them.

Study senior author Dr. Christine Albert, chair of the Department of Cardiology in the Smidt Heart Institute, added: “This study indicates there is opportunity to identify patients at highest risk for sudden cardiac death, and then offering meaningful, preventative treatment solutions like a defibrillator.

"Based on our pivotal research, we now have the foundation to achieve this.”

The findings were published in the Journal of the American College of Cardiology.