[Cardiologic assessment of surviving family members of young victims of sudden cardiac death: diagnostic yield]

Abstract

Sudden cardiac death (SCD) is one of the most common causes of death in developed countries. In Italy, an annual incidence of 0.7 per 1000 inhabitants per year can be estimated. SCD represents the main cause of sudden death in children, adolescents and young adults and often occurs in young and previously asymptomatic patients. This issue has acquired even greater relevance since implantable cardioverter-defibrillators have proved to be highly effective in preventing sudden death in high-risk subjects. Autopsy findings of young SCD victims include inherited cardiac disorders with a defined morphologic substrate but also hearts without any identifiable structural abnormalities (sudden unexplained death). The potential heritability of the underlying disorder makes surviving relatives at risk of sudden death. A cardiological workup in these families may allow identification of cardiac disease and may unmask affected surviving relatives in whom the disease had remained unrecognized. Cardiological and genetic assessment of relatives of SCD victims based on current literature is reported in this review as well as our experience on SCD in young people in the Lazio Region (Italy) between 2001 and 2008.