Young Swedish patients with sudden cardiac death have a lifestyle very similar to a control population

• Published in: Scandinavian cardiovascular journal : SCJ Vol. 39; no. 3; pp. 137 - 142
• Main Authors: Wisten, Aase, Messner, Torbjörn
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: England Informa UK Ltd 01.07.2005; Taylor & Francis
• Subjects: Adolescent; Adult; Age Factors; Athletic activities; Body Mass Index; Case-Control Studies; Death, Sudden, Cardiac - epidemiology; Female; Humans; Life Style; Male; Motor Activity; prevention; Risk Factors; sudden cardiac death; Surveys and Questionnaires; Sweden; Sweden - epidemiology; Sweden
• ISSN: 1401-7431; 1651-2006; 1651-2006
• DOI: 10.1080/14017430510009177

Objectives. To study the association between lifestyle and sudden cardiac death (SCD) in the young with special respect to athletic activities. Design. We compared lifestyle factors, collected from forensic and medical reports and from interviews with family members, in the Swedish cohort of individuals 15-35 years of age who had suffered an SCD during 1992-1999, with those of the control population of the same age group, obtained from national health registries. Results. Physical activity and body mass index (BMI) in men were the same as in the controls, whilst women had a higher BMI and a lower level of physical activity in the SCD group. Twenty-three per cent (32/138) were competing athletes in the SCD group and 29% in the control group (622/2131). Death during physical activity was more common in athletes (20/32) than in non-athletes (18/106) (p < 0.001). In coronary artery disease deaths, 11/15 (73%) were smokers and BMI was significantly higher than in the controls in both sexes. Conclusions. Young Swedish persons suffering SCD were very similar to the normal population with regard to lifestyle factors.