Genetics of the Faint-Hearted

Autor: Robert S. Sheldon, Andrew D. Krahn, Brenda Gerull
Rok vydání: 2011
Předmět:
Zdroj: Circulation: Cardiovascular Genetics. 4:472-474
ISSN: 1942-3268
1942-325X
Popis: In this issue of Circulation: Cardiovascular Genetics , Barsheshet et al shed novel and unexpected light on the genetics of syncope, defined as a transient loss of consciousness caused by cerebral hypoperfusion with spontaneous recovery. Syncope is very common, with a cumulative incidence of 37% by age 60 years.1,2 In “young” patients, by far the most common cause of syncope is vasovagal syncope, with a well-characterized symptom complex and a benign natural history.3,4 Hidden in the forest of vasovagal syncope are rare but more worrisome sentinel events that reflect more life-threatening arrhythmic disorders, particularly inherited arrhythmia syndromes such as long-QT syndrome (LQTS).5 The genetics of these syndromes are now relatively clear. Article see p 491 In contrast to the LQTS, relatively little is known about the genetics of vasovagal syncope, though there are numerous reports of fainting in families, and a parental history of syncope greatly increases the likelihood that offspring will have fainting.3,6 Despite these findings, the role of genetic factors and the model of inheritance of vasovagal syncope are unknown. In this issue, Barsheshet et al present data that inadvertently shed tantalizing light on the possible genetics of vasovagal syncope. The purpose of their study was to examine the role of clinical factors and genetic polymorphisms in syncope in family members of subjects with known culprit mutations causing LQTS. To remove the influence of the culprit mutation, the authors focused on family members who did not have those particular mutations. Barsheshet et al …
Databáze: OpenAIRE
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