Abstract

DONOSO, Benjamín et al. Causes of sudden death in subjects 1 to 35 years of age in Chile. Rev Chil Cardiol [online]. 2013, vol.32, n.2, pp.117-122. ISSN 0718-8560.  http://dx.doi.org/10.4067/S0718-85602013000200005.

Abstract:There are few events more devastating than Sudden Cardiac Death (SCD) in people without previously known heart disease, especially when occurring during the practice of sports. In Chile we have no reports on SCD epidemiology. Aim: to describe the incidence of SCD and the underlying pathology in people from 1 to 35 years of age. Methods: We searched the registries from the Department of Statistics and Information of the Ministry of Health (DEIS) and analyzed death certificates from all deaths occurring from 2000 to 2010 in people 1 to 35 years of age. Diagnoses deemed to correspond to SCD were those defined by the ICD-10 codes. Results: Out of 57979 deaths, 1131 (1.95%) matched the ICD-10 codes estimated as causes of SCD. Ischemic heart disease (43%) and cardiomyopathies (27%) were the most frequently certified diagnoses. Conclusion: This study is a first step in the characterization of SCD in Chile. The results obtained show that ischemic heart disease and cardiomyopathies are the most frequently described causes of SCD in children and young adults, which is consistent with international reports.

Keywords : sudden death; cardiomyopathy; ische-mic heart disease.

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