Arrhythmias & electrophysiologyCohort study
Diagnostic yield in families to sudden cardiac death victims: a 10-year follow-up study
- Retrospective cohort study
- single-centre
Authors' conclusion
Long-term follow-up identified an inherited heart disease in 12% of SCD relatives, primarily diagnosed within 5 years. Cardiac events were rare (4%).
Study context
- Population
- Relatives of Sudden Cardiac Death (SCD) probands referred to the Unit for Inherited Heart Diseases, Rigshospitalet, Denmark, 2005–2018relatives of 299 probands
- Participants
- 686 relatives
- Outcome
- Diagnostic yield of inherited heart diseases and frequency of cardiac events in SCD relatives
- Follow-up
- 10 years
Main finding
As reported in the abstract
Inherited heart disease diagnosed · 10-year follow-up
Relatives diagnosed with an inherited heart disease
12% (n = 82)
Diagnosed within 5 years (of those diagnosed)
93% (n = 76)
Observational data: associations, not effects.
Further findings
Cardiac events
- Cardiac events after 5-year follow-up
- 18 (3%)
- Cardiac events after 10-year follow-up
- 24 (4%)
Late diagnosis (>5 to 10 years) in relatives of probands with no established diagnosis, without diagnosis or event within 5 years
- Relatives diagnosed
- 5 (0.7%)
Original publication
Diagnostic yield in families to sudden cardiac death victims: a 10-year follow-up study. Europace. Published 14 June 2025. doi:10.1093/europace/euaf119
Summarised from the published abstract; every number is checked against it