Epidemiology

The true prevalence of Brugada syndrome (BrS) is difficult to determine because the diagnosis requires specific ECG findings (which are often intermittent), and many patients are asymptomatic.​​​[1][7][8][9] However, prevalence of BrS with type 1 Brugada pattern on the ECG is thought to be around 1 in 2000.[1][4][8]​​[9][10]​​​​ Prevalence of a type 2 or type 3 Brugada pattern on the ECG (which is not diagnostic of BrS, but requires further investigation) is around 1 in 500.[1]

BrS is most commonly diagnosed in young- to middle-aged men; it is around 8 to 10 times more prevalent in men than in women.[1][10][11]​​ The phenotypic expression of BrS appears to be age dependent because it is rare in children, with a prevalence of around 1 in 20,000.[1][2][3]​ However, BrS is thought to be the cause of around 4% to 12% of sudden cardiac deaths in children and young athletes, and around 20% of sudden explained deaths in young people in general.[12]​ Note that children are not covered elsewhere in this topic.

BrS occurs more commonly in Asia than in Europe and the US.​[1][13] It is particularly common in Southeast Asia, where nocturnal sudden death syndrome in young men was clinically reported by a variety of local names (e.g., bangungut, lai-tai, pokkuri, bei gui ya) in countries such as Philippines, Thailand, Japan, and China, prior to the formal classification of BrS.[14]​ It is the leading cause of death in men under age 40 years in Southeast Asia.[4]

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