arrhythmogenic right ventricular dysplasia

noun

: a disease of the heart that is characterized by the new or complete replacement of the right ventricular muscle by fatty and fibrous tissue which typically results in arrhythmias originating in the right ventricle

Arrhythmogenic right ventricular dysplasia is a rare condition, but it does contribute to the number of sudden deaths in young people, especially when they are engaged in athletic activity.

—Paul Donohue, The Sun-Sentinel (Fort Lauderdale, Florida)

The natural history of arrhythmogenic right ventricular dysplasia is highly variable and … many patients have mild, asymptomatic disease that may progress over a period of several decades.

—Hugh Calkins, The New England Journal of Medicine

Note: Arrhythmogenic right ventricular dysplasia is often inherited as an autosomal dominant trait, requiring that one parent pass on a copy of the defective gene on a chromosome other than a sex chromosome.