The gene which causes sudden death in young people and athletes has been identified. The gene, called CDH2, causes arrhythmogenic right ventricle cardiomyopathy (ARVC)…[and] predisposes patients to cardiac arrest, [making it] a major cause of unexpected death.
…
A team of investigators from the Population Health Research Institute of McMaster University and Hamilton Health Sciences, led by Dr. Guillaume Paré, performed the genetic sequencing, as well as the bioinformatics analysis for the study.
“This is important news for families who have had a young family member suffer a sudden cardiac death, for them to know a genetic cause has been identified,” said Paré.
…
The researchers said identifying the gene is important because it helps to clarify the genetic mechanisms underlying ARVC, and it also makes the early detection of ARVC possible in otherwise unsuspecting people.
This may lead to a reduction of cases of sudden death in patients with the mutation, the researchers concluded.
[The study can be found here.]The GLP aggregated and excerpted this blog/article to reflect the diversity of news, opinion, and analysis. Read full, original post: Gene that causes sudden death in young people identified
For more background on the Genetic Literacy Project, read GLP on Wikipedia.
