Police continue to investigate the death of 27-year-old Adrienne Nicole Martin. She was found dead on December 23 at the Huntleigh residence of former Anheuser-Busch executive, August Busch IV, and her funeral was held earlier today in Springfield.
Martin and Busch had been dating for about a year, the St. Louis Post-Dispatch reported.
Before she began dating Busch, Martin was married to Kevin Martin, a doctor of osteopathy in Cape Girardeau, from 2002 to 2009. They had an 8-year-old son, Blake. Her ex-husband reported to the St. Louis Post-Dispatch that he had diagnosed Martin with a rare congenital heart disorder called Long QT syndrome, but he said that she had never followed up with a cardiologist about his diagnosis.
Although her cause of death is yet to be determined, we researched what Long QT syndrome actually is and whether it could be the culprit in Martin’s mysterious death.
According to the American Heart Association, Long QT syndrome is a congenital heart disorder that affects the heart’s electrical rhythm. The disorder can occur in otherwise healthy people and usually is seen in children or young adults.
The disease gets its name from the waveforms in the electrocardiogram, which is used to chart the heart's contractions. The waveforms are separated by letters P-T, and the Q-T interval measures the time it takes for the heart's ventricles to activate and inactivate. When this interval takes longer than normal, it is considered a prolonged Q-T interval, or Long Q-T.
The Mayo Clinic explains that signs or symptoms are not always found in people with the disorder. Those who do have symptoms may faint or have seizures, usually after physical exertion or emotional distress.
These symptoms occur because of erratic heartbeats that usually prevent oxygen from reaching the brain. Death only occurs when these heartbeats do not return to normal and a paramedic does not arrive in time to use a defibrillator.
According to the Mayo Clinic, most people have their first episode before age 40.
Most people are unaware that they have the disorder unless they have had an electrocardiogram.
Was Dr. Kevin Martin’s diagnosis correct? Only the final autopsy results will tell us for sure.
