Abstract
Introduction: Brugada phenocopies are recently introduced as clinical
entities with electrocardiographic patterns identical to true congenital
Brugada syndrome in individuals, who are asymptomatic and have no other
clinical criteria. One of the largest methanol poisoning outbreaks
occurred in Iran during March and April 2020. This study aimed to
investigate the relationship between Brugada Phenocopy with laboratory
data and demographic factors and determine its association with
mortality rate in methanol toxicity patients. Method and results:
Demographic data such as age, gender, medical history, Glasgow coma
scale score, laboratory data, and electrocardiographic data were
obtained from 356 patients, who were diagnosed with methanol poisoning
and were hospitalized in Faghihi and Namazi Hospitals in Shiraz,
southern Iran, during March and April 2020. The follow-up data was
gathered to examine the development of any complications or death. A
total of 20 (5.6%) patients were admitted with a diagnosis of methanol
toxicity and concurrent Brugada-like ECG patterns. Mortality rate,
Glasgow Coma Scale Score <3, and blood sugar were
significantly higher in the Brugada phenocopies; however, PH, O2
saturation, and calcium were lower among Brugada phenocopies in
comparison to methanol toxicity patients with no Brugada pattern
(P<0.05). Conclusion: According to the findings of this study,
some recognizable ECG patterns and laboratory data may be used as novel
prognostic factors of morbidity and mortality. Electrocardiography
machines are widely available, and electrocardiograms can easily be
obtained and interpreted. This may provide the grounds for caregivers to
predict and prevent the incoming death and react more properly and
timely.