Sudden Death in Young Adults: An Autopsy-Based Series of a Population Undergoing Active Surveillance

Objectives The purpose of this study was to define the incidence and characterization of cardiovascular cause of sudden death in the young. Background The epidemiology of sudden cardiac death (SCD) in young adults is based on small studies and uncontrolled observations. Identifying causes of sudden death in this population is important for guiding approaches to prevention. Methods We performed a retrospective cohort study using demographic and autopsy data from the Department of Defense Cardiovascular Death Registry over a 10-year period comprising 15.2 million person-years of active surveillance. Results We reviewed all nontraumatic sudden deaths in persons 18 years of age and over. We identified 902 subjects in whom the adjudicated cause of death was of potential cardiac etiology, with a mean age of 38 ± 11 years. The mortality rate for SCD per 100,000 person-years for the study period was 6.7 for males and 1.4 for females (p Conclusions Prevention of sudden death in the young adult should focus on evaluation for causes known to be associated with SUD (e.g., primary arrhythmia) among persons