• Bjarke Risgaard, Bo Gregers Winkel, Reza Jabbari, Elijah R Behr, Ole Ingemann-Hansen, Jørgen Lange Thomsen, Gyda Lolk Ottesen, Gunnar H Gislason, Henning Bundgaard, Stig Haunsø, Anders Gaarsdal Holst, and Jacob Tfelt-Hansen.
• Danish National Research Foundation Centre for Cardiac Arrhythmia.
• Circ Arrhythm Electrophysiol. 2014 Apr 1;7(2):205-11.

BackgroundKnowledge of the burden and causes of sudden cardiac death (SCD) is sparse in persons aged<50 years; better understanding is needed to lower the risk of SCD. The aim of this study was to report SCD incidence rates and autopsy findings in persons aged 1 to 49 years.Methods And ResultsAll deaths in persons aged 1 to 49 years were included in 2007 to 2009. Death certificates were reviewed by 2 physicians. History of previous admissions to hospital was assessed, and discharge summaries were read. Sudden unexpected death cases were identified and autopsy reports were collected. In the 3-year study period, there were 7849 deaths of which we identified 893 (11%) SCD cases. The annual incidence rate per 100 000 persons increased from 2.3 (95% confidence interval, 2.0-2.7) to 21.7 (95% confidence interval, 20.2-23.4) in persons aged 1 to 35 and 36 to 49 years, respectively. Coronary artery disease was the most common cause of death and was found in 158 (36%) autopsied cases, followed by 135 (31%) cases of sudden unexplained death.ConclusionsIn a nationwide cohort of persons aged<50 years, the annual incidence rate of SCD was ≈10× higher in persons aged 36 to 49 years than in persons aged 1 to 35 years. Notably, coronary artery disease was the most common cause of SCD, followed by unexplained deaths. These findings may help in developing strategies to prevent SCD in the future.

33 keywords...

hide…