Early repolarization pattern in families of victims of sudden arrhythmic death

From a recent study:

Background—The early repolarization (ER) pattern is associated with sudden death and has been shown to be heritable. Its significance when identified in families affected by sudden arrhythmic death syndrome (SADS) remains unclear…

Conclusions—The ER pattern is more common in SADS family members than controls adjusted in particular for relatedness. The increased prevalence is irrespective of ER subtype and the presence of other inherited arrhythmia syndromes. ER may therefore represent an underlying heritable arrhythmia syndrome or risk factor for sudden death in the context of other cardiac pathology.