Brugada syndrome following febrile episode caused by malarial infection: a case report

Background: Brugada syndrome (BrS) is a rare genetic disorder with specific electrocardiographic (ECG) patterns carrying an increased risk of sudden cardiac death.

Case presentation: The authors present a 36-year-old gentleman who had a travel history to the Central African Republic and came to the hospital with a fever and chest pain. The lab investigation revealed Falciparum Malaria infection and the ECG pattern revealed the type 1 Brugada pattern, which was normalized with anti-malarial medication and symptomatic treatment of fever.

Discussion: BrS is a disorder with high prevalence in males and people of the Asian continent. Patients can present with symptoms like syncope, seizure, and nocturnal agonal respiration or may be asymptomatic. The ECG pattern of BrS could be seen in the febrile phase and normalized when non-febrile, like in our patient. Prompt treatment of fever and follow-up with cardiologists would be an effective treatment of asymptomatic patients, whereas ICD is a management of choice for symptomatic patients.

Conclusion: For a patient with chest pain, fever, and an ECG pattern of ST elevation, a clinician should think BrS one of the differential diagnoses.