About sudden death – Sudden

This page provides a brief introduction to sudden deaths and the devastation they cause to people’s lives. If you have been suddenly bereaved by any cause, including by COVID-19 (coronavirus) you can also read our help for bereaved adults pages. If children have been bereaved you can read our information on caring for bereaved children. If you are caring for, or providing support for, a suddenly bereaved person you can learn more about sudden death by reading our help for friends and communities pages. If you are a professional providing support to a suddenly bereaved person, you can find information and resources to help your work here.

A sudden death is an unexpected death

A sudden death is any kind of death that happens unexpectedly. This includes:

• suicide
• road crash or other transport disaster
• drowning, falling, fire or other tragedy
• undiagnosed advanced terminal illness, such as advanced cancer
• sudden natural causes, such as heart attack, brain haemorrhage, or cot death
• sudden death from a communicable disease such as COVID-19
• sudden death from a serious illness that was known about, but where death wasn’t expected, for example epilepsy
• murder
• war or terrorism

A sudden death is an unanticipated death

While sudden deaths have very different causes, what unites them all is that they are unexpected and consequently unanticipated. The people bereaved by these deaths have no time to prepare for their loss, or say goodbye. Their bereavement consequently comes as a shock; a bolt from the blue.

A sudden death rips apart people’s lives

By their very definition, sudden deaths are more likely to occur among children, young people, and healthy mid-life adults. Therefore, sudden deaths often mean people’s lives are ripped apart by the death of somebody very significant, close and central to their life, such as a life partner, father, son, brother, mother, daughter or sister.

People bereaved by sudden death often suffer severely

Everyone is different, and grief is a very individual experience. How people respond to a loved one dying suddenly may depend on many factors unique to them, including their personalities, what has happened in their life previously, and their personal situation now.

However, it is clear that people bereaved suddenly often suffer very much. They often have acute and lengthy support needs.

Suddenly bereaved children, as well as suddenly bereaved adults, share these needs. Often the needs of bereaved children are the same as those of bereaved adults.

Challenging grief

Many people bereaved suddenly are often described as suffering from ‘complicated grief’ or ‘traumatic grief’. Rather than going through a smooth process of initial sadness and then coming to terms with the death and moving forwards happily, people bereaved suddenly may have a range of powerful reactions to their bereavement, resulting from the shock of their bereavement and the devastation it has caused to their lives. These reactions may be different at different times and over a long time.

Some of these reactions may be frightening and mentally or physically painful and debilitating, affecting people’s ability to live their lives constructively in many ways.

Massively changed lives

As well as having to cope with the traumatic nature of their bereavement and its effect on them, suddenly bereaved people often have their day to day lives irrevocably altered, due to, for example, the death of a life partner who provided financial support, or the death a child who required daily care.

As well as working to recover emotionally, suddenly bereaved people often have to rebuild their lives and make a new plan for the future, as the plan they had before the death has been destroyed. It can be extremely hard to plan a new direction in life when suffering the after-shocks of a sudden death.

In addition, suddenly bereaved people may suffer their bereavement at a time when they are already dealing with a major life challenge; for example domestic abuse, job loss, marriage break up, another bereavement, or some other calamity.

Support and recovery

It is possible to recover following a sudden bereavement and lead a full and happy life again. However, people bereaved suddenly often need sensitive and significant support to help them recover fully, and as soon as possible.

Support should be tailored to the particular needs of the individual, after careful identification of these needs. It may be provided by more than one person or agency responding to these identified needs.

Support may be appropriate, depending on the individual’s circumstance and needs, from relatives and friends, professionals specialising in providing therapy for complex grief and / or post-traumatic stress disorder, government agencies such as housing agencies, and community, health and spiritual leaders.

There are often also charities specifically offering support to specific types of suddenly bereaved people, for example charities specialising in caring for victims of road crashes, murder, suicide, cot death, or war. These charities offer a variety of services including, often, contact with people bereaved in the same way. However, people suddenly bereaved by other causes, such as at-work accidents or cardiac arrest, may not have charity services specifically aimed at supporting them.

More information about appropriate support can be found in the Help for bereaved adults, Help for friends and communities, and Help for professionals sections of this site.

Sudden unexpected death in persons less than 40 years of age

. 1991 Nov 15;68(13):1388-92.

doi: 10.1016/0002-9149(91)90251-f.

Y Drory 
¹
, Y Turetz, Y Hiss, B Lev, E Z Fisman, A Pines, M R Kramer

Affiliations

Affiliation

• ¹ Cardiac Rehabilitation Institute, Chaim Sheba Medical Center, Tel Hashomer, Israel.

• PMID:

  1951130

• DOI:

  10.1016/0002-9149(91)90251-f

Y Drory et al.

Am J Cardiol.

1991.

. 1991 Nov 15;68(13):1388-92.

doi: 10.1016/0002-9149(91)90251-f.

Authors

Y Drory 
¹
, Y Turetz, Y Hiss, B Lev, E Z Fisman, A Pines, M R Kramer

Affiliation

• ¹ Cardiac Rehabilitation Institute, Chaim Sheba Medical Center, Tel Hashomer, Israel.

• PMID:

  1951130

• DOI:

  10.1016/0002-9149(91)90251-f

Abstract

This study retrospectively assesses the underlying causes of sudden unexpected death and the occurrence of prodromal symptoms in 162 subjects (aged 9 to 39 years) over a 10-year period (1976 to 1985). Underlying cardiac diseases accounted for sudden death in 73% and noncardiac causes in 15% of subjects. In 12% of subjects, the causes were unidentifiable. Myocarditis (22%), hypertrophic cardiomyopathy (22%) and conduction system abnormalities (13%) were the major causes in 32 subjects aged less than 20 years. Major causes of 46 deaths in subjects 20 to 29 years were atherosclerotic coronary artery disease (24%), myocarditis (22%) and hypertrophic cardiomyopathy (13%). The largest number of deaths in 84 subjects aged greater than or equal to 30 years was attributed to coronary artery disease (58%), followed by myocarditis (11%). Among noncardiac causes of sudden death, intracranial hemorrhage was the most frequent (5%), followed by infectious disease (4%). Prodromal symptoms were reported by 54% of subjects; most frequent were chest pain (25%) in subjects aged greater than or equal to 20 years, and dizziness (16%) in those aged less than 20. Sudden death, which occurred during routine daily activity in 49% and during sleep in 23% of subjects, was related to physical exercise in 23% and emotional upset in 6%. Sudden unexpected death in the young is still an unresolved medical problem. The early recognition of prodromal symptoms could be crucial in the prevention of sudden death, specifically when exercise-related.

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MeSH terms

Sudden cardiac death syndrome | Clinical Diagnostic Center

Sudden cardiac death is a condition in which the heart stops beating unexpectedly and for no reason. However, this is only at first glance. As a rule, such patients have cardiovascular diseases.

In most cases, sudden cardiac death is caused by a violation of blood circulation in the vessels of the heart. Due to this, a violation of the heart rhythm develops, which leads to cardiac arrest. Less commonly, heart muscle disease (cardiomyopathy) or heart valve disease can be the cause. Patients with heart failure are also at risk.

The mechanism of development of sudden cardiac death in the vast majority of cases is associated with very frequent non-rhythmic contractions of the ventricles of the heart. The muscle fibers of the heart begin to contract chaotically, scattered, and the heart stops working as a pump that supplies blood to other organs and tissues. But a person who is essentially in a state of clinical death can still be saved. There are only a few minutes for this. Delay every minute reduces the chances of salvation by 10%. That is, after 10 minutes, the probability of saving a person is almost zero.

– Symptoms of sudden cardiac death are severe weakness, dizziness, loss of consciousness, breathing stops after a few minutes. In this situation, if help is not provided in time, a fatal outcome may occur, – Tatyana Gordienko, a cardiologist at the CDC, told . – Since resuscitation should be carried out immediately, and in real life it is far from always feasible, the main approach to solving the problem of sudden cardiac death is its prevention.

Sudden death only seems sudden. Usually the body takes a long time to reach this outcome. Therefore, you should determine as early as possible whether you are at risk. In it, first of all, there are people who have already undergone clinical death. They are 30% more likely to relive a cardiac arrest. In second place, with a 25 percent chance of dying suddenly, are those who have had a myocardial infarction. On the third (20%) – patients with heart failure.

The least likely to fall dead – about 5% – in people who are considered relatively healthy, but lead an unhealthy lifestyle – smoke, move little, eat irrationally, are overweight or obese and have high blood pressure. But there are more than half of such people, so their share in the structure of sudden death is significant.

Common interventions to reduce the risk of sudden cardiac death include smoking cessation, weight control, cholesterol-lowering measures, and control of blood sugar and blood pressure.

– Today, not only elderly patients suffer from cardiovascular diseases, but also young people, and they often ignore the symptoms and do not seek medical help in time, – said Tatyana Sergeevna.

It should be noted that the main cause of death among children and adolescents was precisely undiagnosed congenital malformations in time, with the greatest risk group being young men actively involved in sports.

To prevent an irreversible catastrophe, a healthy person needs to have an electrocardiogram once a year. If there have already been problems in the past, then it is required to be regularly observed by the attending cardiologist, follow all the recommendations and undergo additional examinations (echocardiography, daily ECG monitoring, stress tests, etc. ).

Risk factors:

• Heart failure
• Post-infarction or post-cardiac arrest condition
• Cardiac arrhythmias
• Past pulmonary embolism

Other factors that increase the risk of sudden cardiac death:

• Age
• Smoking
• High blood pressure
• Overweight
• Diabetes mellitus
• High cholesterol

Article title:

Sudden cardiac death syndrome

5 unexpected causes of premature death

April 4, 2014 about 12

Kotikovich Yu.S.

Keywords:

air pollution,

cancer,

life expectancy,

cardiovascular diseases,

sedentary lifestyle

Specialties: 90 005

Preventive medicine

Summary

prolong life

Unfortunately, death is an integral part of life that cannot be prevented. However, everyone can delay its onset by slightly changing their lifestyle.

At present, specialists are aware of many risk factors that can lead to the development of chronic diseases and premature death. Many of them are sufficiently well studied (for example, smoking, drinking alcohol, high blood pressure), which allows the development of programs for preventive measures. However, there are other factors – habits or behavioral characteristics – that at first glance seem safe, but can also shorten life expectancy. These include:

1. Watching TV frequently and for a long time. A large number of people after a long day at work choose a passive option for relaxation – watching TV. However, a sedentary lifestyle can seriously threaten your health. Scientists from the University of Navarra, Spain, analyzed the daily behavior of 13,284 students over 8.2 years. The purpose of their work is to estimate the likelihood of premature death depending on the amount of time spent in front of the TV, driving a car or on the Internet. During the entire study period, 9 people died7 participants (19 due to cardiovascular disease, 46 due to cancer, 32 due to other reasons). Scientists noted that people who watched TV for ≥3 hours more often, almost 2 times, died prematurely, compared with those who spent ≤1 hour in front of the screen. Passion for the Internet or driving did not affect the risk of premature death.

2. Loneliness. It has its obvious drawbacks in terms of mental health, but can such a condition affect physical well-being? Scientists from the University of Chicago, USA, at the annual meeting of the American Association for the Advancement of Science annual meeting, presented the results of a study in which they came to exactly this conclusion. They noted that various aspects of life associated with loneliness can increase the risk of premature death. So, older people who feel lonely are less likely to cope with stressful situations and take a positive view of the world around them. They are more likely to have high blood pressure, high cortisol levels, and sleep disturbances. A team of researchers concluded that lonely elderly people have a 14% higher risk of premature death than their peers who have loved ones.

3. Early retirement. Hard work is known to increase stress and anxiety levels, but idleness increases the risk of depression, cardiovascular disease, and premature death. It may seem that early retirement is a good opportunity to truly enjoy life, but in the course of recent research, scientists have come to the conclusion that this is not the case. Researchers from the University of Zurich, Switzerland, analyzed the relationship between the risk of premature death and early retirement among office workers. It turned out that for men, this self-withdrawal from daily work increases the risk of death before they reach 67 years of age. Moreover, each additional year of early retirement increases the risk of premature death by 13. 4%.

4. Living in an area with a high level of air pollution. In many parts of the world, air pollution has become so common that people tend to ignore its impact on their health. However, many experts consider it as the most aggressive environmental risk factor. It is known that permanent residence in an area with a high level of air pollution increases the risk of stroke, heart attack, respiratory diseases, chronic obstructive pulmonary disease and certain types of cancer. According to the results of studies conducted by experts from the World Health Organization (WHO), the main cause of every eighth death on the planet is polluted air. Maria Neira, head of the Department for Public Health, Environmental and Social Determinants of Health at the World Health Organization (WHO’s Department for Public Health, Environmental and Social Determinants of Health), noted that every year scientists receive more and more data on the harmful effects of polluted air. This makes us think about the need to develop large-scale air purification programs.

5. Failure to follow the rules of oral hygiene. Swedish scientists from the Karolinska Institutet, Stockholm, have shown that people who neglect brushing their teeth put themselves at an increased risk of premature death. Researchers have found that the accumulation of plaque can lead to the development of cancer. The participants in this work, which was carried out in the period 1985–2009, were 1390 people. Scientists analyzed their lifestyle, all the factors that could potentially contribute to the development of cancer, and assessed their activity in observing the rules of oral hygiene. Twenty-four years after the start of the study, 58 participants were declared dead, with cancer causing 35 deaths. After studying the data obtained, the researchers concluded that a large amount of plaque increased the risk of developing oncological pathologies. They suggested that the bacteria contained in it are a possible source of infection, which can play a key role in the development of malignant neoplasms.