title: Burden of sudden cardiac death in persons aged 1 to 49 years: nationwide study in Denmark.
abstract: BACKGROUND
  Knowledge 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.
  
  
  RESULTS
  All 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.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  In 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.
authors.affiliation: Danish National Research Foundation Centre for Cardiac Arrhythmia.
authors.forename: Bjarke
authors.initials: B
authors.lastname: Risgaard
authors.forename: Bo Gregers
authors.initials: BG
authors.lastname: Winkel
authors.forename: Reza
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: Jabbari
authors.forename: Elijah R
authors.initials: ER
authors.lastname: Behr
authors.forename: Ole
authors.initials: O
authors.lastname: Ingemann-Hansen
authors.forename: Jørgen Lange
authors.initials: JL
authors.lastname: Thomsen
authors.forename: Gyda Lolk
authors.initials: GL
authors.lastname: Ottesen
authors.forename: Gunnar H
authors.initials: GH
authors.lastname: Gislason
authors.forename: Henning
authors.initials: H
authors.lastname: Bundgaard
authors.forename: Stig
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Haunsø
authors.forename: Anders Gaarsdal
authors.initials: AG
authors.lastname: Holst
authors.forename: Jacob
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Tfelt-Hansen
mesh_terms: D000293:Adolescent; D000328:Adult; D017677:Age Distribution; D001344:Autopsy; D002423:Cause of Death / Q000639:trends; D002648:Child; D002675:Child, Preschool; D003324:Coronary Artery Disease / Q000150:complications* / Q000401:mortality; D003644:Death Certificates; D016757:Death, Sudden, Cardiac / Q000453:epidemiology* / Q000209:etiology; D003718:Denmark / Q000453:epidemiology; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D015994:Incidence; D007223:Infant; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D012042:Registries; D012189:Retrospective Studies; D017678:Sex Distribution; D015996:Survival Rate / Q000639:trends; D055815:Young Adult
keywords: autopsy; death, sudden, cardiac; epidemiology; pathology; registries