Genetics proving to be key reason for sudden cardiac arrests among youth in India

Emerging research shows up to 20% of sudden cardiac deaths among young Indians are linked to genetic factors. Experts are urging the integration of genetic testing into public healthcare to detect high-risk individuals, especially in South Asian populations with inherited cardiac risks.

Hyderabad: While public health specialists and doctors often come-up with many explanations for the rise of sudden cardiac deaths among young people in Telangana and across the country, the crucial role of genetics behind such life-ending episodes is often overlooked and rarely discussed.

Emerging data from a clutch of studies on sudden cardiac deaths among young people in India indicates significant involvement of genetic problems. Indications are that 20 percent of such sudden cardiac deaths among young population people are genetically related, a clear sign of the urgent need to institutionalize genetic tests in public health care facilities.

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While large-scale studies are still needed, the present ongoing studies and a recently published AIIMS, New Delhi study, (in Indian Heart Journal, July, 2025), have indeed highlighted gthe significance of genetic causes. They (studies) also suggest that certain predisposing genetic variants, which lead to cardiac-related ailments, may have a higher prevalence in the Indian population.

Apart from the sudden cardiac deaths, there are general estimates indicating that 2 percent of people in the general population carry a genetic variant that could predispose them to sudden cardiac death.

A study in Kerala specifically identified a 25 bp deletion variant of MYBPC3, a unique genetic change common among people in India. MYBPC3 (Myosin Binding Protein C, Cardiac) is the name of a very important gene involved in producing a very important protein for heart muscles.

There have been numerous studies in the past that have demonstrated that 25 bp deletion is found frequently in individuals with South Asian ancestry like India, Bangladesh, Pakistan, Sri Lanka etc, compared to other populations in the world. Studies have reported its presence in 2 to 8 percent of the general South Asian population, which is considered quite high.

Due to the presence of genetic ‘errors’ in the Indian population, genetic experts from Hyderabad and elsewhere, point out that such variants make hearts of Indian population more vulnerable to developing serious muscle disease, which could subsequently lead to sudden cardiac arrest.

Some important points:

· Genetics is a significant, yet overlooked cause of sudden cardiac deaths among Indian youth

· New Indian studies suggest over 20 percent of sudden cardiac deaths in youngsters may have genetic origin.

· Around 2 percent of the general population carry genetic variants that predispose them to sudden cardiac death.

· A specific 25 bp deletion variant in the MYBPC3 gene is highly prevalent in South Asians

· MYBPC3 gene makes the heart vulnerable to muscle diseases, increasing risk of sudden cardiac arrest.

· Urgent need to include genetic testing in public healthcare to identify these risks.