Sudden unexpected death in alcohol misuse--an unrecognized public health issue?
Sudden arrhythmic cardiac death can occur in chronic misusers of alcohol. The only findings at post mortem are fatty liver and a negative or low blood alcohol. This is an under-recognized entity. Coroner's post mortems in a typical UK city were studied. Seven out of 1,292 (0.5%) post mortems were deemed to have died of alcohol associated arrhythmic death. Applying this study to the UK as a whole, alcohol related arrhythmic death or as we have termed it SUDAM (Sudden Unexpected Death in Alcohol Misuse) probably accounts for around 1,000 deaths, many of which are misattributed to other causes.
Templeton
Alexa H
AH
University of Southampton, Southampton General Hospital, Southampton University Hospitals NHS Trust, Southampton, UK. at704@hotmail.co.uk
Carter
Karen L T
KL
Sheron
Nick
N
Gallagher
Patrick J
PJ
Verrill
Clare
C
D000328:Adult; D000368:Aged; D000369:Aged, 80 and over; D000435:Alcoholic Intoxication / Q000150:complications*; D000437:Alcoholism / Q000150:complications*; D001145:Arrhythmias, Cardiac / Q000139:chemically induced / Q000453:epidemiology* / Q000209:etiology; D016757:Death, Sudden, Cardiac / Q000453:epidemiology* / Q000209:etiology; D003933:Diagnosis; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D011446:Prospective Studies; D011634:Public Health; D012189:Retrospective Studies; D012307:Risk Factors; D006113:United Kingdom / Q000453:epidemiology