PROVIDENCE – A new study by researchers at Brown University provides new insights into the molecular mechanisms that cause arrhythmia, or irregular heartbeat, and how it triggers sudden cardiac death in certain patients.
The findings, published online in The Journal of Clinical Investigation, could pave the way for new gene-based therapies to treat and prevent fatal arrythmias, and they could also help improve screenings for patients taking certain medications, the hospital said.
ADVERTISEMENT
ADVERTISEMENT
Most cases of sudden cardiac death are related to arrhythmias, including clinical conditions such as long QT syndrome (LQTS), a disorder of the heart’s electrical system that causes fast, chaotic heartbeats. LQTS can be inherited or brought on by certain medications and usually affects otherwise healthy children and young adults.
Using an animal model of LQTS, the researchers found two different genes could be involved, one causing spontaneous arrythmias and even sudden death, the other not. The findings, the scientists said, could play a major role in identifying mechanisms of sudden cardiac death and also help doctors better screen patients for drugs that could put them at risk. •
The Journal of Clinical Investigation publication of the American Society for Clinical Investigation, an honor society of physician-scientists. For more information, including the full article, “Mechanisms of cardiac arrhythmias and sudden death in transgenic rabbits with long QT syndrome,” visit www.jci.org.
Hattie Bryant invites you to
watch a one- to four-minute video tip each day about best business practices from
the weekly television show, Small Business School.
