In a cardiological department of a non-referral hospital responsible for 80,0 00 inhabitants with 2500 in-hospital patients and 1500 out-hospital patients p er year, the prevalence, symptoms and prognosis of arrhythmogenic right ventricu lar dysplasiacardiomyopathy(ARVD/C) were examined retrospectively. From 1997 to 2002, ARVD/C was diagnosed in 35 females and 45 males(overall prevalence 1 in 10 00 inhabitants) with a mean age of 45.6 years. Symptoms were chest pain(80%), p alpitations (60%) and syncopes(30%), and clinical findings were repetitive ven tricular premature beats(50%), supraventricular arrhythmias(30%), ventricular tachycardia (20%), aborted sudden death due to ventricular fibrillation(1%), r ight heart failure(4%), biventricular heart failure(1%) and high grade AV noda l block(4%). Endomyocardial biopsies were not performed. Aborted sudden death o ccurred in only one patient (0.3%) before the diagnosis was made, annual heart failure rate was 1%. No deaths appeared in a follow-up of 1-5(mean 2.4) years with clinical assessment as the basis of diagnosis. The prevalence of ARVD/C is much higher and the prognosis better than expected from results of reference ce nters.
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