Contents:
- Medical Video: My Heart Syndrome (Brugada Syndrome) | Story Time
- What is Brugada Syndrome?
- Who is at risk for brugada syndrome?
- Symptoms of brugada syndrome
- When to see a doctor?
- Treatment and care
Medical Video: My Heart Syndrome (Brugada Syndrome) | Story Time
The sudden death of a doctor who had been viral for some time ago made many people wonder about the exact cause of his death. The Indonesian Doctors Association (IDI) suspects that the doctor's death is caused by brugada syndrome, a potentially life-threatening heart disorder. Unfortunately, despite the danger, there are still many people who do not know about this brugada syndrome.
What is Brugada Syndrome?
Every time your heart beats, this is triggered by an electrical boost generated by cells in the right upper chamber of the heart. Generally, there is a special channel in the heart that is responsible for delivering this electricity, which makes your heart beat regularly.
However, in patients with brugada syndrome, there is damage to the channel that delivers the electricity. As a result, the heart will beat irregularly and cannot pump blood effectively.
If this heart rhythm disorder lasts for a while, then people with Brugada syndrome may only faint. But if it lasts long enough, the person can experience sudden cardiac arrest and die.
Who is at risk for brugada syndrome?
Here are some factors that increase your risk of experiencing Brugada syndrome:
- Family history. If a family member has Brugada syndrome, you are at high risk of experiencing this condition too. If the mutation that causes this disease is known, you are recommended to do genetic counseling and genetic screening to find out if you have Brugada syndrome.
- Male gender. Adult men tend to be more at risk of brugada syndrome than women.
- Asian. Brugada syndrome is more common in Asians (including Indonesia) than in other races.
- Frequent fever.Fever can irritate the heart and stimulate a heart attack triggered by this syndrome, especially in children.
Symptoms of brugada syndrome
People who experience brugada syndrome are rarely diagnosed early, because this syndrome rarely causes real symptoms. So, it is not uncommon if brugada syndrome is considered to come suddenly.
Symptoms of this syndrome are usually only known if you check with an electrocardiogram (ECG) or electrophysiotherapy (EP). The ECG is characterized by an abnormal pattern called the Brugada type 1 ECG pattern. However, here are symptoms that can be a sign if you have Brugada syndrome:
- Fainting (syncope)
- Irregular heartbeat or palpitations
- A very fast and chaotic heartbeat (sudden heart attack)
When to see a doctor?
Because this syndrome has no symptoms, it is fatal if ignored, so you need to pay attention to the condition of your heart. If you have a heart beat or irregular beat (arrhythmia), fainting, or have a family member who suffers from brugada syndrome, it is a good idea to consult a doctor to discuss whether you need to undergo a genetic test to find out if you are at risk of Brugada syndrome or not .
Treatment and care
Brugada syndrome treatment depends on the risk of abnormal heartbeat (arrhythmia). Installation Implantable Cardoverover-defibriallator (ICD) and drug therapy are some forms of treatment that can be done for people with brugada syndrome.
