You may want to start taking blackouts and near drowning seriously as a recent study has revealed that they may signal sudden death risk.
The annual congress of the South African Heart Association is being held in Rustenburg from Oct. 25-28, 2015. Experts from the European Society of Cardiology (ESC) will present a special programme.
Professor Brink said that LQTS is a cardiac disorder associated with blackouts (syncope). It is a treatable cause of sudden death but unfortunately blackouts, being common and most often not serious, are often ignored and the small group with serious events is then missed. When presenting to medical services the underlying cause may also be misdiagnosed.
The research shows that many patients with LQTS never see a doctor, or when they do, they are given an inaccurate diagnosis, said Professor Brink, noting that the most common misdiagnosis in living patients was epilepsy, while in those who died it was drowning.
Professor Brink urged the public to seek medical attention if they experience a blackout, adding that sudden deaths can be prevented if people recognise unusual fainting events and take action. Fainting at the sight of blood is harmless but a blackout during activity is cause for further investigation. If someone suddenly stops swimming during a competition and floats lifeless this is obviously not a typical drowning.
