Prevalence of Atrial Fibrillation in Patients with Brugada Syndrome in Taiwan.
OBJECTIVE
The aim of this study was to assess the prevalence of atrial fibrillation (AF) in patients with Brugada syndrome (BrS) and their clinical characteristics in Taiwan.


METHODS
The patient group consisted of 47 symptomatic BrS patients consecutively enrolled from 2000 to 2010. The definition of BrS patients with AF was a BrS patient with at least one episode of AF in a 12-lead electrogram or 24-hour holter (permanent, persistent or paroxysmal) during follow-up, or before diagnosis of BrS.


RESULTS
Six BrS patients were identified with AF, and all of them were male. Two experienced sudden cardiac death (SCD), 2 presented with seizure and 4 with syncope. The mean age at onset of BrS was 47 ± 16 years, similar to those BrS patients without AF (45 ± 14, p = 0.67). Compared to those BrS patients without AF, significantly higher percentages of the BrS patients with AF presented with seizure and documented ventricular tachyarrhythmia (p = 0.02 and 0.03, respectively). Five of them had spontaneous Brugada type I electrogram, similar to those BrS patients without AF (p = 0.9). The SCN5A mutation rate is similar between BrS patients with AF and those without AF (p = 0.69). The prevalence of AF in BrS patients in Taiwan was 12.7% (6/47, 95% confidence interval 0.06-0.19) which is not significantly lower than the 20% prevalence found in the Caucasian population (p = 0.16).


CONCLUSIONS
BrS patients with AF had distinct clinical features from those patients without AF in Taiwan.


BACKGROUND
Atrial fibrillation; Brugada syndrome; Taiwan.
Cardiovascular Center and Division of Cardiology, Department of Internal Medicine, National Taiwan University Hospital and National Taiwan University College of Medicine, Taipei, Taiwan.
Jyh-Ming Jimmy
JM
Juang
Cardiovascular Center and Division of Cardiology, Department of Internal Medicine, National Taiwan University Hospital and National Taiwan University College of Medicine, Taipei, Taiwan.
Ching-Yu
CY
Chen
Cardiovascular Center and Division of Cardiology, Department of Internal Medicine, National Taiwan University Hospital and National Taiwan University College of Medicine, Taipei, Taiwan.
Yen-Bin
YB
Liu
Cardiovascular Center and Division of Cardiology, Department of Internal Medicine, National Taiwan University Hospital and National Taiwan University College of Medicine, Taipei, Taiwan.
Lian-Yu
LY
Lin
Cardiovascular Center and Division of Cardiology, Department of Internal Medicine, National Taiwan University Hospital and National Taiwan University College of Medicine, Taipei, Taiwan.
Wen-Jone
WJ
Chen
Cardiovascular Center and Division of Cardiology, Department of Internal Medicine, National Taiwan University Hospital and National Taiwan University College of Medicine, Taipei, Taiwan.
Ling-Ping
LP
Lai
Cardiovascular Center and Division of Cardiology, Department of Internal Medicine, National Taiwan University Hospital and National Taiwan University College of Medicine, Taipei, Taiwan.
Chia-Ti
CT
Tsai
Cardiovascular Center and Division of Cardiology, Department of Internal Medicine, National Taiwan University Hospital and National Taiwan University College of Medicine, Taipei, Taiwan.
Jiunn-Lee
JL
Lin