Researchers have discovered the gene responsible for sudden heart failure among young people, the Amsterdam Medical Centre (AMC) Thursday said, according to DPA. In a study, the results of which will be published on the American Journal of Human Genetics website later Thursday, the focus was on familiar idiopathic ventricle fibrillation, an unexplained life- threatening heart rhythm disorder. People who suffer from this disorder experience unexpected fast contractions of the muscles of the heart chamber. This blocks the heart's regular pumping function and quickly results in cardiac arrest. If unnoticed or untreated, the brain will suffer from a lack of oxygen within minutes, causing immediate death. A quarter of the people who have this type of hereditary genetic defect may die before reaching the age of 50. The Dutch researchers now say a DNA fragment on chromosome 7q36 appears to be a marker for the disease. Carriers of the gene have a 50 per cent chance of transmitting it to their children. Now that researchers have identified the gene, these particular people can get a tiny electronic defibrillator implanted in their bodies. If cardiac arrest occurs, the electronic defibrillator automatically shocks the heart to stop the ventricle contractions. The study, lead by cardiologist Arthur de Wilde from the AMC, involved research on more than 300 people from three Dutch families. It included genealogical research of both families back to the 18th century, tracing their common ancestor. The research was a cooperative study from the medical centres of Amsterdam, Utrecht and Leiden and three French research institutes.
