Gender differences in patients with Brugada syndrome and arrhythmic events: Data from a survey on arrhythmic events in 678 patients

Anat Milman, Jean-Baptiste Gourraud, Antoine Andorin, Pieter G. Postema, Frederic Sacher, Philippe Mabo, Giulio Conte, Carla Giustetto, Georgia Sarquella-Brugada, Aviram Hochstadt, Sung-Hwan Kim, Jimmy J. M. Juang, Shingo Maeda, Yoshihide Takahashi, Tsukasa Kamakura, Takeshi Aiba, Eran Leshem, Yoav Michowitz, Michael Rahkovich, Yuka MizusawaElena Arbelo, Zhengrong Huang, Isabelle Denjoy, Yanushi D. Wijeyeratne, Carlo Napolitano, Ramon Brugada, Ruben Casado-Arroyo, Jean Champagne, Leonardo Calo, Jacob Tfelt-Hansen, Silvia G. Priori, Masahiko Takagi, Christian Veltmann, Pietro Delise, Domenico Corrado, Elijah R. Behr, Fiorenzo Gaita, Gan-Xin Yan, Josep Brugada, Antoine Leenhardt, Arthur A. M. Wilde, Pedro Brugada, Kengo F. Kusano, Kenzo Hirao, Gi-Byoung Nam, Vincent Probst, Bernard Belhassen

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Abstract

Background: There is limited information on gender differences in patients with Brugada syndrome (BrS) who experienced arrhythmic events (AEs). Objective: The purpose of this study was to compare clinical, electrocardiographic (ECG), electrophysiological, and genetic characteristics between males and females in patients with BrS with their first AE. Methods: The multicenter Survey on Arrhythmic Events in BRUgada Syndrome collected data on the first AE in 678 patients with BrS including 619 males (91.3%) and 59 females (8.7%) aged 0.27–84 years (mean age 42.5 ± 14.1 years) at the time of AE occurrence. Results: After excluding pediatric patients, it was found that females were older than males (49.5 ± 14.4 years vs 43 ± 12.7 years, respectively; P =.001). Higher proportions of females were observed in the pediatric and elderly populations. In Asians, the male to female ratio for AEs was ≈9-fold higher than that in White. Spontaneous type 1 BrS ECG was associated with an earlier onset of AEs in pediatric females. A similar prevalence (≈65%) of spontaneous type 1 BrS ECG was present in males and females above the age of 60 years. Females less frequently showed spontaneous type 1 BrS ECG (41% vs 69%; P <.001) or arrhythmia inducibility at electrophysiology study (36% vs 66%; P <.001). An SCN5A mutation was more frequently found in females (48% vs 28% in males; P =.007). Conclusion: This study confirms that female patients with BrS are much rarer, display less type 1 Brugada ECG, and exhibit lower inducibility rates than do males. It shows for the first time that female patients with BrS with AE have higher SCN5A mutation rates as well as the relationship between gender vs age at the onset of AEs and ethnicity.
Original languageEnglish
Pages (from-to)1457-1465
JournalHeart Rhythm
Volume15
Issue number10
DOIs
Publication statusPublished - 2018

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