What the hell...Brugada syndrome! Trigger (don't if you have heart anxiety)

[GirlAfraid23]

Oh god. Just discovered this disease while looking on Facebook.
An article came up about a young man who died in his sleep of this.

I then proceeded to look it up (big mistake) it isn't always picked up on ECGs and Echos are useless because it's usually a structurally normal heart.
What chance does this give anyone?

Apparently it's very rare, usually genetic and more common in men. However it can occur randomly and in women in their 20s and 30s (I'm 27).

I feel sick to my stomach now as I've been experiencing palpitations, a forceful heartbeat (especially at night and when I wake up in the morning), skipped beats, pre syncope and dizziness.

There was also a mention of it becoming most active and showing up during a fever. I'm horrified as I had a fever a few weeks ago and had a horribly fast heartbeat all night. I also fainted when I was about 17 when I had a sickness and diarrhoea bug (the only time I've actually blacked out/fainted).
Whenever I get a fever, my heart rate spikes. I wonder if I'd gone to A&E that day, whether Brugada would have shown up on my ECG.

The two normal resting ECGs I've had done have apparently been normal.

[Catherine S]

Oh for goodness sake. I wondered how long it would take. I was reading this myself earlier in the daily mail, which facebook has obviously got hold of, and I knew somebody on nmp would pick up on it. Its really sad what happened to that young chap, but as you pointed out yourself...it's extremely rare.

ISB ☺

[GirlAfraid23]

It's so late, I've already read it :( the seed has been planted. I wish I could go back in time and I wouldn't have read it.
Oh I'm getting shortness of breath too...lots of skipped beats

[PASchoolSyndrome]

Oh honey, I'm sorry but that is ridiculous.

Please take care of your anxiety. Next thing you know you'll read about someone dying from prostate cancer and start worrying about your own prostate..

[Catherine S]

Lol! Not unless GirlAfraid has a spare part PAschool :wacko:

ISB ☺

[GirlAfraid23]

It's only because I've had heart issues lately and I feel like it's falling into place. Especially the fever and high heart rare plus all the arrythmias I've been having lately �� I don't know what to do.

[PASchoolSyndrome]

Lol! Not unless GirlAfraid has a spare part PAschool :wacko:


ISB ☺

Hahaha I know that's the point! That's how silly it sounds hearing someone just hear of something and then trying to put square pegs into round holes.

GirlAfraid, I really think you need some help with your anxiety, if you haven't already started on that path. I'm sorry you have heart anxiety, having a dysfunctional heart can be really scary, but I really think you have anxiety that needs to be treated and your heart will get much better. Have you seen a doctor about either?

[GirlAfraid23]

I am currently seeing a private therapist and have been for 6 months. I was clear of this health anxiety for a long time but now it's back again!

Yes I had my heart checked in the summer (resting ECG) and full blood count. However no stress test or Echo and of course these sudden death syndromes don't always show up on the standard tests.

[Fishmanpa]

I am currently seeing a private therapist and have been for 6 months.

What does your therapist think about you posting on the forum?

Positive thoughts

[ServerError]

Okay, I'm going to give you a dose of rationality:

1) Brugada Syndrome exists. It isn't going anywhere (yet), so we're stuck with it. One way or another, you'll need to make peace with its existence, as well as the tiny possibility you could have it.

2) It's very rare, and affects men more than women. Time spent worrying about this condition is time wasted, no matter how tragic the circumstances when it does strike.

3) Anxiety is very common, causes heart sensations, and you know you have it. It's a very straightforward explanation for what you're feeling. Treat your anxiety and your heart will settle down.

4) "I feel like it's falling into place" doesn't mean the slightest thing. It's just your anxious mind making associations, and it has no bearing on the objective truth about your heart, which I'm sure is perfectly healthy.

5) I don't want to die, but if I could choose, I'd go out of the blue in my sleep. No long period of suffering beforehand, no pain, no need to try and come to terms with it, and I wouldn't even know it had happened. There's worse ways to go.

[PASchoolSyndrome]

I'm sorry that it came back. It definitely can hit hard and fast..

I know with HA it really doesn't matter what other people say because your mind is convinced otherwise - but you are really REALLY grasping at straws to be afraid of such rare, rare, rare conditions. Doctor's know what they're doing, google and the daily mail don't.

[Wilburis]

My sister actually does have Brugada Syndrome, so does my cousin.

If I can advise anyone on what I know, I will xx

The Brugada ECG pattern does not alway show on a regular ECG, they give you Ajmaline in a Cath Lab to try to provoke it.

Genetic testing is pretty poor - they will only find the genes in 30% of cases.

Only one parent needs to have it to pass it down.

My sister has a loop recorder to monitor her heart.

Unless you have the Brugada sign all the time on an ECG, you are classed as "low risk". Your EP will go through your medication list as there are certain meds that should not be taken, you will be told to control a fever promptly, dont go to bed on a full tummy, hydrate well, dont get too hot.

It is a relatively newly found syndrome and recommendations are changing all the time.

[JeSuisDee]

I have a brother that was diagnosed with it, and despite testing and showing nothing to indicate I have it, I am in constant fear. The anxiety makes it worse. The tests not being 100% accurate and them not finding the causative gene in my brother makes it even harder to definitively rule out. Doctors say things like "It's highly unlikely", but never that I definitively don't have it.

With other anxiety problems it was easier to rationalize and cope, but having a risk factor in place (genetic link of my brother) and no easy way to 100% rule this out, this thing has been really hard to tackle.

I feel like research makes it worse. I have researched OBSESSIVELY, looking for answers that don't exist. I suggest, if you can, not to look any further and find a specialist you can trust instead. Sadly, anxiety symptoms mimic a lot of heart issues (dizziness, palpitations, etc.), so I know that compounds it.