In a population-based study conducted by Yechiel Friedlander, Ph.D., of Hebrew University, Jerusalem, and colleagues at several American universities, a history of MI or primary cardiac arrest in a first-degree relative was associated with a 57% increased risk of primary cardiac arrest after adjustment for other common risk factors (Circulation 1998;97:155–60).
And in a Dutch case-control study involving 702 patients with a first ST-elevation MI, 330 of whom developed primary ventricular fibrillation, a history of sudden death in a first-degree relative was associated with a 2.7-fold increased risk of primary ventricular fibrillation during the acute phase of the MI (Circulation 2006;114:1140–5).
Dr. Gold is on the speakers bureaus of Medtronic Inc., St. Jude Medical, and Boston Scientific Corp. Dr. Spencer reported no significant commercial relationships.