A sinus-related health problem may be linked to the deaths of people who suffer sudden cardiac arrest while sleeping, according to findings published in the journal, Circulation Research.
Sudden cardiac arrest happens when an individual loses consciousness, which occurs more often at night because the heart beats at a lower slower rate.
Researchers conducted the study using human heart computer models to determine if suffering from sick sinus syndrome, a type of heart rhythm disorder that impairs the hearts pacemaker, can increase the risks of sudden cardiac arrest in sleeping patients. Analyzing this disorder allowed the team to see how it affects all types of individuals, such as athletic individuals and healthy elderly people.
In fact, researchers believe that these findings could lead to medication development, which could be used to monitor the pacemakers activity level.
Hennggui Zhang, co-author of the study, stated that “previously, we did not know why some people with sick sinus syndrome would die suddenly, but now we do know why risk can increase at night during sleep.” Zhang added that theses results are “an important step towards ways of preventing this, [which could include reducing] the influence of a certain form of nerve activity on the hearts of sick sinus patients via drugs or pacemaker devices.”
Only an estimated 5 percent of Americans of who suffer from sudden cardiac arrest survive, according to the American Heart Association.