Epidemiology of Sudden Cardiac Death: Global and Regional Perspectives

• Published in: Heart, lung & circulation Vol. 28; no. 1; pp. 6 - 14
• Main Authors: Wong, Christopher X., Brown, Alex, Lau, Dennis H., Chugh, Sumeet S., Albert, Christine M., Kalman, Jonathan M., Sanders, Prashanthan
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: Australia Elsevier B.V 01.01.2019
• Subjects: Cardiovascular Diseases - complications; Cardiovascular Diseases - mortality; Death, Sudden, Cardiac - epidemiology; Death, Sudden, Cardiac - etiology; Epidemiology; Global Health; Humans; Risk Assessment; Risk Factors; Sudden cardiac death; Sudden death; Survival Rate - trends; Ventricular arrhythmia; Ventricular arrhythmia; Sudden cardiac death; Epidemiology; Sudden death
• ISSN: 1443-9506; 1444-2892
• DOI: 10.1016/j.hlc.2018.08.026

Despite advancements in prevention and treatment, sudden cardiac death (SCD) remains a leading cause of mortality and is responsible for approximately half of all deaths from cardiovascular disease. Outcomes continue to remain poor following a sudden cardiac arrest, with most individuals not surviving. Although coronary heart disease remains the dominant underlying condition, our understanding of SCD is improving through greater knowledge of clinical risk factors, cardiomyopathies, and primary arrhythmic disorders. However, despite a growing wealth of information from studies in North America, Europe, and Japan, data from other global regions (and particularly from low-and middle-income countries) remains scarce.