BrS = Brugada syndrome; SCD = sudden cardiac death; VF = ventricular fibrillation; VT = ventricular tachycardia.
Several studies linked the new discovery of Brugada syndrome with fever (13, 14), fever associated with illness such as tonsillitis or pneumonia, unmasking Brugada, and eventually leading to fatal arrhythmias and possible death(15). It has been discovered that the gene SCN5A encodes Thr1620Met which forms the alpha unit of the sodium channel in the heart. This protein is affected by temperature, the higher the temperature, the faster the decay of this protein and that’s what reveals the syndrome (16). Another study indicates that Brugada ECG changes are 20 times more obvious when associated with high fever (17).
CONCLUSION:The characteristic ECG findings of Brugada Syndrome are more pronounced in febrile illnesses such as dengue fever. The syndrome can thus be diagnosed by taking ECG during such febrile episodes. Patients presenting with arrhythmias can be managed accordingly, to prevent the progression and complications. In conclusion, Doctors treating patients with febrile illnesses should have high index of suspicion and be ready to manage it. Febrile illnesses need to be taken care of, by quick control of temperature. Further studies on this subject should be done to understand more about the degree of association, other precipitating factors and various treatment modalities.