Scientists find reason for mysterious deaths of healthy people from heart failure

November 19, 2019  16:00

Scientists from the Massachusetts Institute of Technology, US, have found rare mutations in DNA that are responsible for the sudden death of healthy people from heart failure, MedicalXpress reported.

Experts determined the nucleotide sequence of the DNA of 600 people who died from sudden cardiac arrest, and compared them with the data of 600 control patients. Scientists were able to identify 15 genetic variants that play a key role in this process.

Researchers also examined the genes of 4,525 middle-aged adults with no signs of cardiovascular disease and found that 41 people had pathogenic DNA associated with cardiac arrest and death due to it. The risk of death from cardiovascular disease among this group was more than 3 times higher.

According to scientists, fatal changes in genes occur in 1% of adults who do not have any symptoms.

A total of 220 000 adults die every year from sudden cardiac arrest, most of whom had no problems with the cardiovascular system.

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