title: Sudden cardiac death during physical exercise: Characteristics of victims and autopsy findings.
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  To provide data on the risk factors and characteristics of subjects who experience sudden cardiac death (SCD) during physical exercise.
  
  
  RESULTS
  We assessed the characteristics and the medico-legal autopsy findings of SCD victims who had experienced a witnessed fatal cardiac arrest at rest (n = 876) or in relation to physical exercise (n = 328) in the Finnish Study of Genotype and Phenotype Characteristics of SCD (FinGesture). A total of 876 (73%) witnessed SCDs occurred at rest (R group) and 328 (27%) during or immediately after physical exercise (PE group). Male gender was more common in the PE group compared to the R group (309/328, 94% versus 678/876, 77%, P < 0.001). Coronary artery disease was a more common structural heart disease than non-ischemic disease at autopsy when SCD was exercise-triggered (299/328, 91% versus 657/876, 75%, P < 0.001). Myocardial scarring and cardiac hypertrophy were more commonly found at autopsy in the PE group (194/328, 59% versus 370/876, 42%, P < 0.001; 243/328, 74% versus 585/876, 67%, P = 0.012, respectively). Skiing, cycling, and snow shoveling were the most common modes of exercise at the time of SCD.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  SCD during or immediately after exercise is related to male gender, ischemic heart disease, cardiac hypertrophy, and myocardial scarring.
authors: Medical Research Center Oulu, Oulu University Hospital and University of Oulu , Finland.
authors: Tomi
authors: T
authors: Toukola
authors: Eeva
authors: E
authors: Hookana
authors: Juhani
authors: J
authors: Junttila
authors: Kari
authors: K
authors: Kaikkonen
authors: Jani
authors: J
authors: Tikkanen
authors: Juha
authors: J
authors: Perkiömäki
authors: Marja-Leena
authors: ML
authors: Kortelainen
authors: Heikki V
authors: HV
authors: Huikuri
mesh_terms: D000368:Aged; D001344:Autopsy; D002423:Cause of Death; D003324:Coronary Artery Disease / Q000401:mortality / Q000473:pathology; D016757:Death, Sudden, Cardiac / Q000453:epidemiology* / Q000209:etiology / Q000473:pathology*; D015444:Exercise / Q000502:physiology*; D005260:Female; D005387:Finland / Q000453:epidemiology; D006331:Heart Diseases / Q000401:mortality / Q000473:pathology; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D017202:Myocardial Ischemia / Q000401:mortality / Q000473:pathology; D011446:Prospective Studies; D012307:Risk Factors
keywords: Autopsy findings; exercise; risk factors; sudden death