Frequency of Brugada-type ECG pattern (Brugada sign) in southern Turkey

The frequency of Brugada sign was found to differ among ethnic groups. Yet, there is no data regarding the prevalence of Brugada syndrome and sign in our country. The aim of this study was to determine the frequency of a Brugada-type electrocardiogram (ECG) pattern in southern Turkey. A total of 1238 subjects (males, 671, females, 567) were included in the study. The previously archived ECGs of 07 subjects without any evidence of structural heart disease were chosen randomly and evaluated. In addition, prospective analysis of the ECGs of 431 subjects (males, 293, females, 138) randomly chosen from healthy university students were also included. The mean age was 38.9 +/- 17.6 years. Six subjects (0.48%) had a Brugada-type ECG pattern. One (0.08%) of them had the coved-type and 5 (0.40%) had the saddleback-type. All subjects were asymptomatic. A Brugada-type ECG pattern was obtained in 1 (0.17%) female and in 5 (0.74%) males (OR: 4.2 CI: 0.5-36.4, P = 0.2). The Brugada-type ECG pattern frequency was 0.12% in subjects >= 25 years old and 1.16% in subjects between 17-24 years old (OR: 9.4 Cl: 1.1-81.2, P = 0.02). Young males between 17-24 years had the highest (1.70%) frequency. The results indicate that the frequency of the Brugada-type ECG pattern was 0.48% in the general population, being more prevalent in young males in our region. These results are similar to the findings of studies performed in other countries.