Arrhythmogenic cardiomyopathy in Iraq.

We report a case of sudden cardiac death in a young Iraqi male due to arrhythmogenic cardiomyopathy. The classical hallmarks of the biventricular variant of arrhythmogenic cardiomyopathy were present with fibrofatty infiltration of the walls of both the right and left ventricle. Most of the published literature on cardiomyopathies causing sudden death are described in Western populations, mostly of European descent. To our knowledge there have been no pathological descriptions of arrhythmogenic cardiomyopathy in the Middle East and the genetic substrates of this disorder in Arab populations are not known. This case underscores the importance of the medicolegal autopsy as a tool of discovery for novel mutations causing heritable cardiac disease that causes death in young people. We conclude that forensic pathologists must be aware of the diagnostic criteria for cardiomyopathies that can be commonly encountered in sudden death of young people.