Brugada syndrome and early repolarization syndrome: Cellular basis and clinical features

Brugada syndrome (BS) and early repolarization syndrome (ERS) are newly introduced electrical disorders responsible for ventricular fibrillation (VF) and sudden cardiac death in patients with structurally normal hearts. The electrocardiographic J wave, a hallmark of these two syndromes, plays a critical role in the pathophysiology of malignant ventricular tachyarrhythmias. BS and ERS share many clinical characteristics, including male preponderance, circadian distribution of VF episodes, prevalence of concomitant atrial tachyarrhythmias, dynamic behavior of J waves, and response to therapeutic managements. In this review, we compare the key clinical manifestations of BS and ERS with their underlying cellular electrophysiologic mechanisms.