Sudden cardiac death occurs in a wide spectrum of cardiac pathologies and is a common cause of death in the general population. Genetic studies conducted in the last 20 years have confirmed the genetic source of all of the hereditary cardiac diseases associated with sudden cardiac death in up to 30% of cases.

Sudden death in a young, apparently healthy person is one of the most challenging scenarios in general medicine. Between 16% and 48% of genetic causes are identified, which allows us to identify family members that could be at risk of having the same hereditary heart disease and, therefore, are also at a high risk of sudden death.

Knowing if the family members at risk carry the mutation that causes the disease could provide information for the treatment and subsequent medical care, the assessment of the risk and prenatal diagnosis for future pregnancies, if wanted.