Sudden Cardiac Arrest Foundation Joins Genetic Cardiomyopathy Awareness Consortium (GCAC)
The Sudden Cardiac Arrest (SCA) Foundation has recently announced its partnership with the Genetic Cardiomyopathy Awareness Consortium (GCAC). This collaboration aims to enhance awareness and understanding of the genetic factors contributing to cardiomyopathy.
The SCA Foundation's mission is to prevent sudden cardiac arrest and save lives through education, advocacy, and research. By joining forces with GCAC, the foundation seeks to leverage GCAC's expertise in genetic cardiomyopathy to better inform SCAF constituents about the genetic risks associated with sudden cardiac arrest.
Sudden cardiac arrest can result from underlying heart conditions, many of which have genetic components. Cardiomyopathy, a disease of the heart muscle, is one such condition that can lead to sudden cardiac arrest. Nearly 50% of cardiomyopathy cases in the United States are inherited. Despite this high prevalence, only a small percentage of patients undergo genetic testing. Early genetic testing and diagnosis can significantly improve the management and treatment of cardiomyopathy, potentially mitigating risk for sudden cardiac arrest.
For more information, visit Genetic Cardiomyopathy Awareness Consortium.
Upcoming Webinar + Free Genetic Testing
Join GCAC for an exciting webinar on May 28 at 6pm EST to announce the launch of a FREE Genetic Testing program for adult cardiomyopathy patients. Both the genetic testing and counseling can be completed from the comfort of your own home, and there are currently 5,000 FREE tests available.
Those eligible for the free testing include:
• Any patient that has been diagnosed with idiopathic or non-ischemic cardiomyopathy (basically they do not know what caused your cardiomyopathy) and you have not yet been genetically tested.
• Those that have tested positive with a cardiomyopathy genetic variant (mutation) and would like to be tested again.
Current medical guidelines suggest that anyone diagnosed with idiopathic or non-ischemic cardiomyopathy be genetically tested and all first-degree relatives of a person that has a positive cardiomyopathy gene variant be tested. If you have tested positive for a cardiomyopathy genetic variant and would like to have your first-degree relatives tested (cascade testing) the total cost is $350 each.
Register for the webinar to learn more about this program: Webinar Registration - Zoom
