A study of 1,029 genomes revealed that one in 100 apparently healthy Indians possesses genetic abnormalities associated with heart electrical problems that might cause sudden cardiac death.
The study emphasizes the significance of genetic tests to detect high-risk people who have no outward signs of illness. It is the first of its kind in India to determine through genomes the population incidence of illnesses called cardiac ion channelopathies.
19 (1.8%) of the 1,029 whole genomes derived from healthy volunteers were discovered to include genetic variants associated with channelopathies by a group of genomics researchers and medical professionals. Ten of these 19, or 0.97 percent of the 1,029 participants overall, exhibited genetic changes that are unquestionably responsible for these illnesses.
Even though they may generally look healthy, people with these diseases are vulnerable to risky patterns of cardiac electrical activity that can result in palpitations, blackouts, or even sudden death. These patterns are frequently brought on by physical effort or mental stress.
Scientist Sridhar Sivasubbu, who is the study’s lead author and works at the Institute of Genomics and Integrative Biology in New Delhi, compared it to the sword of Damocles.
A diagnostic test for such screening is now being developed by researchers at the IGIB. Numerous studies have attempted to calculate the frequency of sudden cardiac death in India, however, cardiologists claim that the proportion of deaths from channelopathies is still unclear because sudden death can also result from undetected coronary artery disease.
Source: Telegraph India
