By Andrea Hargraves 
A mysterious disease can kill hundreds of people each year in the Australian state of Victoria. This condition has been called Sudden Adult Death Syndrome (SADS), an umbrella term to describe unexpected deaths in adults. Young.
Deaths occur in people under the age of 40 and an autopsy cannot find clear causes of death.
The most common cases of SADS are related to genetic mutations that affect ion channels in the heart or structural defects that interfere with the heart’s electrical system.
They include genetic arrhythmia syndromes, catecholaminergic polymorphic ventricular tachycardia, and Brugada syndrome, a genetic disease more common in males.
Credit: Sturti/IstockThe condition is associated with mutations in the heart
More than 700 deaths annually
It is unclear how many deaths are attributed to the condition globally each year, but the record Baker Heart and Diabetes Institute Melbourne It has been suggested that SADS kills about 750 young adults in Victoria annually.
According to the Royal Australian College of General Practitioners, individuals at risk for SADS are those with first degree relatives with unexplained cardiac death under the age of 40, those who have experienced unexplained syncope (syncope), and those who have experienced syncope or seizures. during physical exercise.
While there is no cure for SADS, experts urge those who think they are at risk of the disease to see a doctor for routine checkups.