Sudden Arrhythmia Death Syndrome (SADS)

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Summary:

Sudden Arrhythmia Death Syndromes (SADS) are genetic heart conditions that can cause sudden death in young, apparently healthy, people. These conditions can be treated and deaths can be prevented.

Warning Signs of SADS

family history of unexpected, unexplained sudden death under age 40
fainting or seizure during exercise, excitement or startle
consistent or unusual chest pain and/or shortness of breath during exercise.

Statistics:

Facts about SADS Conditions

Each year in the United States, approximately 210,000 Americans die suddenly and unexpectedly due to Sudden Cardiac Arrest. (American Heart Association 2017)
10-12% of Sudden Infant Death Syndrome (SIDS) cases are due to Long QT Syndrome.
LQTS is now known to be 3 times more common in the US than childhood leukemia.
1 in 200,000 high school athletes in the US will die suddenly, most without any prior symptoms—JAMA 1996; 276

https://www.sads.org/What-is-SADS#.X4YRuND0k2w [1]

Charities:

Charitable Organizations	Location	Est.	Services
SADS.org	Utah, USA	1991	The patient and family support program provides access to information, resources, research and support to patients’ and families’ who are dealing with genetic conditions that cause sudden cardiac death in the young or who have lost a loved one to sudden unexplained death.
The Family Heart Screening Clinic	Dublin	2007	We perform clinical screening evaluations on persons who may be at risk of having an inherited cardiac disease. These people may have a family history of sudden cardiac death or SADS, or may have a living family member with an inherited cardiac disease.
The Irish Heart Foundation	Dublin	1966	We Campaign to influence Government policy in order to improve care for patients and prevent premature deaths.
Croi Heart & Stroke	Galway	1985	The centre is dedicated to the prevention of, and recovery from, cardiovascular disease as well as the promotion of health and wellbeing.

Not-Profit Groups:

Information:

What is Sudden Arrhythmia Death Syndrome (SADS)?

Sudden Arrhythmia Death Syndromes (SADS) are genetic heart conditions that can cause sudden death in young, apparently healthy, people. These conditions can be treated and deaths can be prevented.

Warning Signs of SADS

family history of unexpected, unexplained sudden death under age 40
fainting or seizure during exercise, excitement or startle
consistent or unusual chest pain and/or shortness of breath during exercise.

Because SADS condition are passed down from parent to child, each child of an affected parent has a 50% chance of inheriting the condition. It is estimated that over half of the 4,000 SADS deaths each year of children, teens, or young adults have one of the top two warning signs: 1) family history – of a SADS diagnosis or sudden unexplained death (usually undiagnosed and untreated) of a family member, or 2) fainting.

SADS conditions occur because the electrical system of the heart is not working properly, so that the heart beats with an abnormal rhythm.

SADS Conditions

Brugada Syndrome
Catecholaminergic Polymorphic Ventricular Tachycardia (CPVT)
Long QT Syndrome (LQTS)
Short QT Syndrome (SQTS)
Timothy Syndrome
Wolff Parkinson White (WPW)

Other SADS related conditions may include malformations of the heart muscle. A dysplasia (misplaced) or cardiomyopathy (thickening) of the heart muscle can be related to Arrhythmogenic Right Ventricular Dysplasia/Cardiomyopathy (ARVD/C), hypertrophic cardiomyopathy (HCM), or Dilated Cardiomyopathy (DM). These conditions can also cause sudden cardiac arrest in the young.

ARVD Resources

Johns Hopkins ARVD Program
Cleveland Clinic Information

Cardiomyopathy Resources

Hypertrophic Cardiomyopathy Association (HCM)
Children’s Cardiomyopathy Association

https://www.sads.org/What-is-SADS#.X4YRuND0k2w [1]

Acquired-LQT-Brochure06

Long-QT–3-2011

Brugada-Brochure

SADS_Support_Group_-_SEPA_ready

SADS-Childrens-Brochure

SADS-CPVT-Brochure_2017_FNL

WPW-Syndrome-Statement-for-SADS-Foundation3-9.11