Prevalence of Brugada sign in patients presenting with palpitation in southern Iran.
OBJECTIVE
Brugada syndrome is a cardiac channel abnormality that is associated with a high risk of ventricular fibrillation and sudden cardiac death and characterized by an electrocardiographic pattern of right bundle branch block and transient or persistent ST-segment elevation in leads V1-V3. No data regarding the frequency of Brugada syndrome exist in an Iranian population. The aim of this study was to determine the frequency of Brugada-type ECG pattern in southern Iran.


RESULTS
All patients presenting with palpitation were enrolled in the study. A Brugada-type ECG pattern was determined according to the criteria recommended by European Heart Association Molecular Basis of Arrhythmias Study Group. A total of 3895 patients (mean age 38.2 +/- 11.9 years, 54% women) met all study criteria. One hundred patients (2.56%) had Brugada-type ECG pattern. Of these, 21 patients (0.54%) had definite Brugada sign (Type 1 or Types 2 and 3 with conversion to Type 1 following procainamide test). Of 21 patients with definite Brugada sign, eight had Brugada syndrome, four had history of syncope, two had coved-type ECG in the family, one had polymorphic ventricular tachycardia, and one had history of sudden cardiac death in the family. Five patients underwent ICD implantation. The incidence of a Brugada-type ECG pattern was 2.43% in subjects between 17 and 30 years and 0.13% in subjects >30 years (P = 0.01).


CONCLUSIONS
Frequency of Brugada sign in an Iranian population presenting with palpitation is greater than some European countries and lower than a Japanese urban population.
Bigi
Mohammad Ali Babaee
MA
Cardiology Department, Namazee Hospital, Shiraz University of Medical Sciences, PO Box 71935-1334, Shiraz, Islamic Republic of Iran. draslani@yahoo.com
Aslani
Amir
A
Shahrzad
Shahab
S
D000328:Adult; D001145:Arrhythmias, Cardiac / Q000175:diagnosis* / Q000453:epidemiology*; D053840:Brugada Syndrome / Q000175:diagnosis* / Q000453:epidemiology*; D015897:Comorbidity; D005060:Europe / Q000453:epidemiology; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D015994:Incidence; D007492:Iran / Q000453:epidemiology; D007564:Japan / Q000453:epidemiology; D008297:Male; D018570:Risk Assessment / Q000379:methods*; D012307:Risk Factors