Gene Is 3rd Linked to Hereditary Heart Disorder

NEW YORK — A newly identified gene has been linked to about 55% of cases of an inherited heart disorder that can kill young, otherwise healthy people.

It’s the third gene to be found for the inherited form of the illness known as long QT syndrome, which affects an estimated 20,000 Americans and is thought to cause 50 to 200 deaths a year.

People with the disorder have an increased risk for episodes in which their heart races at 300 to 400 beats a minute, too fast to pump blood effectively. These episodes lead to fainting and sometimes death. QT is a label for a measure of the time it takes for the heart to get set for its next beat.

Finding the third gene will help in diagnosis, said researcher Dr. Mark Keating.