Sudden Cardiac Death (SCD) - risk stratification and prediction with molecular biomarkers

Area of Science:

• Cardiology
• Biomarker Discovery
• Molecular Medicine

Background:

• Sudden cardiac death (SCD) is a major cause of mortality, affecting patients with coronary artery disease (CAD) and heart failure (HF), as well as asymptomatic individuals.
• Current risk stratification algorithms are limited for early prediction of future SCD events.
• Identifying reliable biomarkers is crucial for proactive management and prevention.

Purpose of the Study:

• To review molecular biomarkers for the early detection of sudden cardiac death (SCD).
• To discuss genetic and protein biomarkers associated with SCD.
• To outline challenges and future directions in SCD biomarker discovery.

Main Methods:

• Review of existing literature on molecular biomarkers for SCD.
• Categorization of biomarkers into genetic (ion channel variants) and protein (atherosclerosis, cardiac damage markers).
• Discussion of pathophysiological processes including oxidative stress, inflammation, neurohormonal regulation, and myocardial stress.

Main Results:

• Genetic biomarkers primarily involve genomic variants in ion channel genes.
• Protein biomarkers reflect processes like atherosclerosis and cardiac tissue damage.
• Biomarkers are linked to key pathways in CAD and HF leading to SCD.

Conclusions:

• Molecular biomarkers offer potential for early SCD detection beyond current risk scores.
• Future directions include OMICS strategies and multimarker panels for enhanced predictive power.
• Further research is needed to translate biomarker findings into clinical practice for SCD prevention.