Heart Healthy Blog » Sudden Cardiac Death http://www.hearthealthyblog.com Blogging for a healthier heart Tue, 15 Feb 2011 17:05:50 +0000 en hourly 1 http://wordpress.org/?v=3.0.4 Men at Higher Risk for Sudden Cardiac Death http://www.hearthealthyblog.com/men-at-higher-risk-for-sudden-cardiac-death/ http://www.hearthealthyblog.com/men-at-higher-risk-for-sudden-cardiac-death/#comments Wed, 02 Dec 2009 16:35:21 +0000 admin http://www.hearthealthyblog.com/?p=269 Yet Another Related Posts Plugin.]]> Findings presented at the annual meeting of the American Heart Association (AHA) showed that men are at greater risk for sudden cardiac death. Here are a few statistics on the study:

  • Men age 40 and over have a one in eight chance of suffering sudden cardiac death, and the risk is even higher for African-American men
  • Among the 300,000 annual cases, 3,000 to 5,000 occur among children, adolescents, and young adults. In contrast to older people, such cases are typically inherited.
  • People with risk factors for heart disease — such as high blood pressure, high cholesterol, and smoking cigarettes – are at significantly increased risk of sudden cardiac death.

Another interesting finding is that the risk of sudden cardiac death actually decreases as we get older.
For the full findings in the study, visit the news section of NorthShore University HealthSystem.

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]]> http://www.hearthealthyblog.com/men-at-higher-risk-for-sudden-cardiac-death/feed/ 0 Sudden Cardiac Death Facts http://www.hearthealthyblog.com/sudden-cardiac-death-facts/ http://www.hearthealthyblog.com/sudden-cardiac-death-facts/#comments Mon, 16 Feb 2009 19:21:37 +0000 admin http://www.hearthealthyblog.com/?p=60 Yet Another Related Posts Plugin.]]> Sudden cardiac death (SCD–also called sudden arrest) is death resulting from an abrupt loss of heart function (cardiac arrest). Do you know the facts and statistics surrounding SCD?

•    The most common underlying reason for patients to die suddenly from cardiac arrest is coronary heart disease (fatty buildups in the arteries that supply blood to the heart muscle).

•    Most of the cardiac arrests that lead to sudden death occur when the electrical impulses in the diseased heart become rapid (ventricular tachycardia) or chaotic (ventricular fibrillation) or both.

•    Some cardiac arrests are due to extreme slowing of the heart. This is called bradycardia.

SCD Statistics according to eMedicine

•    Of the 325,000 deaths attributed to SCD in the United States each year, a large portion (as many as 40%) are unwitnessed.

•    Men have a higher incidence of SCD than women do, with a ratio of 3:1.
•    The incidence of SCD parallels the incidence of CAD, with the peak of SCD occurring in people aged 45-75 years.
•    Some studies suggest that a greater proportion of coronary deaths were “sudden” in blacks compared to whites. In a report by Gillum et al on SCD from 1980-1985, the percentage of CAD deaths occurring out of the hospital and in EDs was found to be higher in blacks than in whites

One of the most important ways one can prevent SCD is through knowledge of the risks and symptoms. Join us on Wednesday, February 18th for the Sudden Cardiac Death Live Chat.

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