Genetic risk factors for common and rare cardiac rhythm disorders

Sudden cardiac death (SCD) is defined by abrupt and unexpected death due to a cardiac cause, most often attributed to sustained ventricular arrhythmias. Knowledge about the molecular pathways involved in SCD is necessary in order to develop preventive strategies and novel therapies. Insight into these pathways may be gained by dissecting the genetic underpinnings of SCD. This thesis has accordingly focused on the identification of genes predisposing to SCD in the setting of the rare Mendelian arrhythmia disorders as well as to SCD in the setting of myocardial ischemia that underlies a significant part of SCD in the older segment of the general population.