Sheldon Native Helps Discover Cause Of Sudden Death In Amish Kids

Rochester, Minnesota — A Sheldon native has helped to discover why an inordinate number of Amish kids playing have died from sudden cardiac issues.

Sheldon native and Mayo Clinic researcher, Dr. Michael Ackerman tells us the situation.

He says it all started in 2004 when an autopsy doctor could not find a cause for the sudden cardiac death of an Amish child. The doctor turned to Mayo because he had heard of their “molecular autopsy” and wondered if they could help. Ackerman says they took some steps in what turned to be the right direction, but couldn’t come up with it then.

After they were asked to investigate a number of other almost identical cases, Ackerman says they finally had something new to try.

He says now they’re trying to figure out what to do about it. Ackerman tells us researchers are trying to find the founder mutation.

Ackerman tells us what they can do.

He says families can also consider implanting defibrillators into kids who have the double copy issue in their DNA.

According to Ackerman, this situation proves to him that the stereotype of the Amish shunning all technology is an overgeneralization. He says getting this information about how their children died has provided closure for many Amish families, and it is providing hope for the future.

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