Sudden Adult Death Syndrome (SADS) & The Relevance of Genetic Testing in This Situation
At Genetics.ie, we offer a wide array of genetic testing services under the supervision of Dr Willie Reardon, someone with much experience in his field. Today, we're here to talk about a condition known as Sudden Adult Death Syndrome and how genetic testing can help.
What Is SADS?
Sudden Arrhythmic Death Syndrome (SADS) is a condition that can cause unexpected death from cardiac arrest. It's a notable fact that autopsy in such cases often fails to identify any identifiable cause of cardiac arrest The key to the true basis of the death lies in the genetic examination of DNA from the deceased, and the identification of a genetic cause then frequently results in cardiac and genetic screening implications for other family members.
Should somebody in your family have succumbed to SADS and no genetic testing has been carried out for anyone in your family, it can help in several ways. Principally 1) it can help to identify other family members with the genetic susceptibility condition and 2) help your Clinical geneticist to determine the appropriate future management for that patient, often in association with a Cardiologist colleague.
How Genetic Testing Helps
When the diagnosis is not clear, but your family's variant of DNA ("mutation") is known, genetic testing can be used to clarify whether a person has inherited a risk of arrhythmia. Children, parents and siblings can all be tested for the 'family mutation' to see if they require treatment.
However, should the diagnosis be unclear but no genetic testing has been undertaken, genetic testing can be carried out on a family member who has already been diagnosed with cardiac abnormality. If that individual tests positive on genetic analysis, you can then be tested for their mutation, as it will then be considered to be your family mutation variant.
The following people should consider testing for SADS:
All patients who have a first-degree relative with a history of sudden unexplained cardiac death
Family members of someone with a known/likely pathogenic variant in the family
Any that has been tested as part of a research study over 3-5 years ago
How Do I Get Tested For SADS?
When requiring genetic testing for possible SADS, an initial consultation with your Clinical Geneticist will discuss the process with you and take a saliva or blood sample. After around 4-6 weeks of your sample being sent, your Consultant Geneticist will receive the results.
Then you will meet with your Consultant to discuss your results and talk about the next steps. If your test returns negative, no further action will be taken. However, if you get a positive result, it's important to consider testing for other family members.
Providing the Important Answers You Need
SADS is just one of the many conditions that the Genetics.ie team can provide genetic testing services for. Infertility, birth defects, chromosome disorders, and prenatal issues are other areas our genetic testing services cover, something you can find out more about by visiting us online today at www.genetics.ie.
Alternatively, if you'd like to speak to our team about your testing needs, call us today on 01 206 4329, and we'll be happy to talk you through the process.