Gender differences in sudden cardiac death in the young-a nationwide study

TY - JOUR

T1 - Gender differences in sudden cardiac death in the young-a nationwide study

AU - Winkel, Bo Gregers

AU - Risgaard, Bjarke

AU - Bjune, Thea

AU - Jabbari, Reza

AU - Lynge, Thomas Hadberg

AU - Glinge, Charlotte

AU - Bundgaard, Henning

AU - Haunsø, Stig

AU - Tfelt-Hansen, Jacob

PY - 2017/1/7

Y1 - 2017/1/7

N2 - Background: Hitherto, sudden cardiac death (SCD) in the young has been described with no distinction between genders. SCD occurs more often in men (SCDm) than women (SCDw), but this disparity is not understood and has not been investigated systematically in a nationwide setting. Our objective was to report gender differences in SCD in the young in a nationwide (Denmark) setting. Methods: All deaths in persons aged 1-35 years nationwide in Denmark between 2000 and 2009 were included. Death certificates and autopsy reports were obtained. The extensive health care registries in Denmark were used to investigate any known disease prior to death. SCDw were compared to SCDm. Results: During the 10-year study period there were a total of 8756 deaths in 23.7 million person-years. In total, 635 deaths were SCD. SCDw constituted 205 deaths (32%). Women had a higher proportion of witnessed deaths (51 vs. 41%, p=0.02) and died less often in a public place (16 vs. 26%, p=0.01). Age at death, ratios of autopsies and sudden unexplained deaths, and comorbidities, did not differ. Causes of SCD were largely comparable between genders. The incidence rate of SCDw was half of that of SCDm (1.8 vs. 3.6 per 100,000 person-years, incidence rate ratio 2.0 (95% CI 1.7-2.4), p<0.01). Conclusions: Incidence rate ratio of SCDm vs SCDw is 2. Young SCDw and SCDm are equally investigated, have comparable comorbidity, and causes of SCD. SCD due to potentially inherited cardiac diseases is less often in young women and could reflect a protection of female gender.

AB - Background: Hitherto, sudden cardiac death (SCD) in the young has been described with no distinction between genders. SCD occurs more often in men (SCDm) than women (SCDw), but this disparity is not understood and has not been investigated systematically in a nationwide setting. Our objective was to report gender differences in SCD in the young in a nationwide (Denmark) setting. Methods: All deaths in persons aged 1-35 years nationwide in Denmark between 2000 and 2009 were included. Death certificates and autopsy reports were obtained. The extensive health care registries in Denmark were used to investigate any known disease prior to death. SCDw were compared to SCDm. Results: During the 10-year study period there were a total of 8756 deaths in 23.7 million person-years. In total, 635 deaths were SCD. SCDw constituted 205 deaths (32%). Women had a higher proportion of witnessed deaths (51 vs. 41%, p=0.02) and died less often in a public place (16 vs. 26%, p=0.01). Age at death, ratios of autopsies and sudden unexplained deaths, and comorbidities, did not differ. Causes of SCD were largely comparable between genders. The incidence rate of SCDw was half of that of SCDm (1.8 vs. 3.6 per 100,000 person-years, incidence rate ratio 2.0 (95% CI 1.7-2.4), p<0.01). Conclusions: Incidence rate ratio of SCDm vs SCDw is 2. Young SCDw and SCDm are equally investigated, have comparable comorbidity, and causes of SCD. SCD due to potentially inherited cardiac diseases is less often in young women and could reflect a protection of female gender.

KW - Causes of death

KW - Comorbidity

KW - Epidemiology

KW - Gender

KW - Registries

KW - SCD

KW - Sudden cardiac death

KW - Sudden death

KW - Young

U2 - 10.1186/s12872-016-0446-5

DO - 10.1186/s12872-016-0446-5

M3 - Journal article

C2 - 28061807

AN - SCOPUS:85008329619

SN - 1471-2261

VL - 17

JO - BMC Cardiovascular Disorders

JF - BMC Cardiovascular Disorders

M1 - 19

ER -