Cent Eur J Public Health 2022, 30(1):58-64 | DOI: 10.21101/cejph.a6793

Burden of sudden cardiac death in persons aged 1-40 years in the Czech Republic

Kristina Rücklová1, Martin Dobiáš2, Matěj Bílek3, Štěpánka Pohlová Kučerová4, Markéta Kulvajtová5, Terézia Tavačová6, Ivan Nagy7, Petr Tomášek3
1 University Hospital Královské Vinohrady and Third Faculty of Medicine in Prague, Charles University, Prague, Czech Republic
2 Olomouc University Hospital, Institute of Forensic Medicine and Medical Law, Olomouc, Czech Republic
3 Bulovka Hospital, Institute of Forensic Medicine, Prague, Czech Republic
4 Department of Forensic Medicine, Faculty of Medicine in Hradec Králové and University Hospital, Charles University, Hradec Králové, Czech Republic
5 Faculty Hospital Královské Vinohrady, Institute of Forensic Medicine, Prague, Czech Republic
6 Motol University Hospital, Children's Heart Centre, Prague, Czech Republic
7 Department of Applied Mathematics, Faculty of Transportation Sciences, Czech Technical University, Prague, Czech Republic

Objectives: The aim of the study was to ascertain the incidence, circumstances and causes of sudden cardiac death in persons aged 1-40 years in the Czech Republic.

Methods: De-identified autopsy reports of all individuals who died suddenly between the ages of 1-40 years during the period 2014-2019 inclusive in a selected area of the Czech Republic were analysed retrospectively. Persons with substantial cardiovascular pathology defined by histopathological criteria and those with a negative autopsy were included in the study. The latter were designated as sudden arrhythmic death syndrome.

Results: In total, 245 sudden cardiac death cases were identified resulting in an incidence rate of 2.4/100,000 person-years. Among the deceased, we found an enormous gender gap with men representing 81% of cases. More than 80% of deaths occurred during everyday activities or sleep, whereas only 7% were sports-related. The most common cause of death was coronary artery disease detected in 38%, which was followed by cardiomyopathies in 15%, sudden arrhythmic death syndrome in 12%, left ventricular hypertrophy in 10%, and congenital heart defects in 7%.

Conclusions: Coronary artery disease is the predominant cause of sudden cardiac death in the young population of the Czech Republic. Hence, effective preventive measures targeted at the reduction of risk factors associated with early coronary artery disease should be reinforced. The second most prevalent cause in our population are potentially heritable heart conditions such as cardiomyopathies and sudden arrhythmic death syndrome. This fact has already prompted the introduction of molecular autopsy and cardiogenetic care for relatives in the Czech Republic.

Keywords: sudden cardiac death, young, incidence, causes, consequences for public health

Received: March 3, 2021; Revised: January 18, 2022; Accepted: January 18, 2022; Published: March 31, 2022  Show citation

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Rücklová K, Dobiáš M, Bílek M, Pohlová Kučerová Š, Kulvajtová M, Tavačová T, et al.. Burden of sudden cardiac death in persons aged 1-40 years in the Czech Republic. Cent Eur J Public Health. 2022;30(1):58-64. doi: 10.21101/cejph.a6793. PubMed PMID: 35421300.
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