Researchers: Protein Linked to Sudden Cardiac Death

People with low levels of a certain protein are at greatest risk for sudden cardiac death that occurs in the morning, a new study contends. The researchers suggested that their findings could lead to new treatments to reduce people's risk for this condition, in which the heart suddenly stops beating due to electrical instability. The findings were to be presented Sunday at the American Chemical Society's annual meeting in Indianapolis. "Sudden cardiac death due to this electrical instability causes an estimated 325,000 deaths annually in the United States alone," Dr. Mukesh Jain, of Case Western Reserve University in Cleveland, said in a chemical society news release. "That includes the three out of four heart disease deaths in people aged 35 to 44." http://consumer.healthday.com/cardiovascular-and-health-information-20/heart-attack-news-357/researchers-protein-linked-to-sudden-cardiac-death-679600.html