Electrical storm in the brain and in the heart: epilepsy and Brugada syndrome

Abstract

We describe a patient with the coincidence of 2 ion channel disorders with autosomal dominant inheritance: Brugada syndrome, a potentially fatal cardiac condition, and cryptogenic focal epilepsy, likely due to a neurologic channelopathy. Although Brugada syndrome was discovered incidentally, most of the clinical features of epilepsy in this patient shared the risk factor characteristics of sudden unexplained death in epilepsy syndrome. This case provides additional information on the potential interaction between ion channel abnormalities in the heart and in the brain. Furthermore, it may suggest that patients with epilepsy at increased risk for sudden unexplained death in epilepsy syndrome should undergo a careful cardiac evaluation.

Keywords: BS; Brugada syndrome; ECG; EEG; ICD; LQT; ST elevation; STE; SUDEP; VT; electrocardiogram; electroencephalogram; implantable cardioverter-defibrillator; long QT; sudden unexplained death in epilepsy; ventricular tachycardia.