Seminars in Pediatric Neurology
Volume 12, Issue 1 , Pages 52-58, March 2005

Cardiac Causes of Sudden Unexpected Death in Children and Their Relationship to Seizures and Syncope: Genetic Testing for Cardiac Electropathies

  • Michael J. Ackerman, MD, PhD

      Affiliations

    • Corresponding Author InformationAddress reprint requests to Michael J. Ackerman, MD, PhD, Departments of Medicine, Pediatrics, and Molecular Pharmacology, Long QT Syndrome Clinic and Sudden Death Genomics Laboratory, Mayo Clinic College of Medicine, Mayo Clinic, Rochester, MN USA

Associate Professor of Medicine, Pediatrics, and Molecular Pharmacology, Director, Long QT Syndrome Clinic and Sudden Death Genomics Laboratory, Mayo Clinic College of Medicine, Mayo Clinic, Rochester, MN

The sentinel descriptions of congenital long QT syndrome (LQTS) under the eponyms of Jervell and Lange-Nielsen syndrome and Romano-Ward syndrome were provided in 1957 and the early 1960s. In 1995, the discipline of cardiac channelopathies was birthed formally with the landmark discoveries of cardiac channel mutations as the pathogenic basis for LQTS. Over the past decade, the discipline has expanded considerably being comprised of at least a dozen distinct heritable arrhythmia syndromes, several disease-susceptibility genes, and hundreds of implicated mutations. Previously confined to the purview of research testing, diagnostic genetic testing for several channelopathies is now available for routine clinical use.

Keywords:  Long QT Syndrome , genetic testing , ion channels , sudden death

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 Conflicts of interest: Dr. Ackerman is a paid consultant and scientific advisory board member for Genaissance Pharmaceuticals.

PII: S1071-9091(05)00019-7

doi:10.1016/j.spen.2005.02.002

Seminars in Pediatric Neurology
Volume 12, Issue 1 , Pages 52-58, March 2005

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