Sudden cardiac death (SCD) is the most common lethal manifestation of heart disease, and in many cases it is the descent‘ first and only symptom. The increase in death rates for SCD among younger women warrants additional investigation. During the same time, age-specific death rates for SCD increased 21% among women aged 35 to 44 years.Ĭonclusions SCD remains an important public health problem in the US. From 1989 to 1998, SCD, as the proportion of all cardiac deaths, increased 12.4% (56.3% to 63.9%), and age-adjusted SCD rates declined 11.7% in men and 5.8% in women. The Hispanic population had lower death rates for SCD than the non-Hispanic population. The black population had higher death rates for SCD than white, American Indian/Alaska Native, or Asian/Pacific Islander populations.

Death rates for SCD increased with age and were higher in men than women, although there was no difference at age ≥85 years. Of all SCDs in 1998, coronary heart disease (ICD-9 codes 410 to 414) was the underlying cause on 62% of death certificates. Among decedents aged 35 to 44 years, 74% of cardiac deaths were SCD. Of 719 456 cardiac deaths among adults aged ≥35 years in 1998, 456 076 (63%) were defined as SCD. Death rates were calculated for residents of the US aged ≥35 years and standardized to the 2000 US population. SCD is defined as deaths occurring out of the hospital or in the emergency room or as “dead on arrival” with an underlying cause of death reported as a cardiac disease (ICD-9 code 390 to 398, 402, or 404 to 429). Methods and Results United States (US) vital statistics mortality data from 1989 to 1998 were analyzed. Customer Service and Ordering Informationīackground Sudden cardiac death (SCD) is a major clinical and public health problem.Stroke: Vascular and Interventional Neurology.Journal of the American Heart Association (JAHA).Circ: Cardiovascular Quality & Outcomes.Arteriosclerosis, Thrombosis, and Vascular Biology (ATVB).

Death in the Time of Ice by Kaye George