[Prevalence of Brugada syndrome among 35,309 inhabitants of Lorraine screened at a preventive medicine centre].
Brugada syndrome is a recently identified cause of sudden death. Its primary prevention remains controversial, and epidemiology poorly defined.


METHODS
Electrocardiograms (ECG) of 35,309 individuals (mean age = 37.2 years, 47% men) recorded over a 1-year period were reviewed and classified as (1) typical, (2) suspicious, and (3) negative. Subjects whose ECG was suspicious were offered a provocative test with flecainide, 2 mg/kg, i.v., and individuals whose ECG was typical were advised to undergo programmed ventricular stimulation (PVS).


RESULTS
In 14 men and 6 women between the ages of 24 and 77 years (mean =47.5), ECGs were typical (n=6) or suspicious (n=14). Among 6 subjects with typical ECGs, 3 underwent PVS, which was positive in 1, who received an implantable cardioverter defibrillator (ICD). Among 14 subjects whose ECGs were suspicious, 5 declined further investigations and 5 developed typical ECG characteristics of Brugada syndrome after flecainide administration. PVS was negative in 4 subjects who consented to the procedure. Overall, among 35,309 individuals screened, 11 had ECG findings consistent with Brugada syndrome and, over a follow-up of 30 months, all had remained free of adverse cardiac event.


CONCLUSIONS
we estimated a prevalence of Brugada syndrome of 0.3% in Lorraine. A single patient received an ICD for inducible ventricular tachyarrhythmia during PVS, representing a potential 30 per million asymptomatic adult rate of ICD implantation for this indication.
Blangy
H
H
Département des Maladies Cardiovasculaires, Service du Pr Aliot, CHU de Nancy-Brabois, Vandoeuvre-lès-Nancy. h.blangy@chu-nancy.fr
Sadoul
N
N
Coutelour
J M
JM
Rebmann
J P
JP
Joseph
M
M
Scherrer
C
C
de Chillou
C
C
Magnin-Poull
I
I
Aliot
E
E
D000328:Adult; D000368:Aged; D002037:Bundle-Branch Block / Q000175:diagnosis / Q000453:epidemiology* / Q000628:therapy; D016757:Death, Sudden, Cardiac / Q000517:prevention & control; D017147:Defibrillators, Implantable; D004562:Electrocardiography; D005260:Female; D005602:France / Q000453:epidemiology; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D008403:Mass Screening; D008875:Middle Aged; D015995:Prevalence; D013577:Syndrome; D017180:Tachycardia, Ventricular / Q000175:diagnosis / Q000453:epidemiology* / Q000628:therapy