Sudden, Unexplained Death May Kill Many Adults

Yahoo! News ^ | 3/28/03 | Richard Woodman - Reuters Health

[NormsRevenge]

LONDON (Reuters Health) -

Many apparently healthy adults may be dying unexpectedly in a grown-up version of the "cot death" phenomenon, British researchers said on Friday.

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The British Heart Foundation said a study showed that the number of adults who collapse and die suddenly without explanation could be "much greater than is recorded in official statistics."

Like sudden infant death syndrome, such deaths should be labeled "sudden adult death syndrome," said Dr. Tim Bowker, the charity's associate medical director and lead researcher of the study.

The study, published in the Quarterly Journal of Medicine, examined the frequency of sudden unexpected cardiac or unexplained death in a sample of cases investigated by coroners in England during the 1990s.

The study included white people aged 16 to 64 years who had no history of cardiac disease on whom autopsy found either a cardiac or no identifiable cause of death.

Most of the 692 people investigated died from heart-related causes. But in 4.1 percent of the cases, no cause could be found despite a full post-mortem examination.

"It has long been recognized that there are occasions when an apparently previously healthy adult dies suddenly and unexpectedly and any abnormalities found at post-mortem are minimal or non-existent," Bowker said in a statement.

"In such cases it can be very difficult to identify a precise cause of death. This leads us to question whether these deaths are rare or represent the tip of a larger iceberg," he said.

"If the condition is more frequent than we suspect -- particularly if across the country pathologists and coroners are using different words to describe the cause of death -- we need to give the condition a 'name' to help us gain a greater understanding of the scale of the problem," Bowker said.

Bowker added, "Not until it is accepted practice to identify all these unexplained deaths and to label them as such will it become possible to study them systematically, identify their causes and find ways of preventing them from occurring."

The charity said experience with "cot deaths" indicated that this approach could have a major impact.

"Once cot death became officially labeled as the 'sudden infant death syndrome,' it was possible to collect and collate the relevant data, identify possible causes and take steps to protect infants from such tragedies, resulting in a 70 percent fall in the number of deaths over a period of 10 years."

The new study estimates that in England, 3,500 apparently healthy adults die suddenly from cardiac or unexplained causes each year. In about 150 of these deaths, no cause can be identified.

The charity said many of these deaths might be due to electrical abnormalities of the heart, some of which are inherited. It pointed out that electrical measurements of the heart can only be made when a person is alive.

"Because the 'alarm bells' only start ringing after the death of a seemingly well adult, we hope our new findings will encourage people to look back into their family's medical history and to think about whether any close relatives may have died young from unexplained causes," said the charity's medical director, Professor Sir Charles George.

SOURCE: Quarterly Journal of Medicine 2003;96:269-279.

[IncPen]

Life just isn't safe anymore.

[Semper Paratus]

Thanks, as if I don't have enough to worry about.

[ShadowAce]

Life just isn't safe anymore.

I've discovered the leading cause of death worldwide--and no one has ever mentioned it.

Ready?

conception

[buccaneer81]

Gotta love the headline. Which esteemed school of journalism cranked out this writer?

[alloysteel]

There is some body of recorded deaths resulting from long airplane rides, sitting immobile in semi-reclining position, in which blood clots form in the legs, and travel to the heart. Could there be a similar syndrom at work here?

[Fzob]

further investigation has revealed that these death are attributed to dumb @ss liberals that forgot to breath.

[algol]

Life just isn't safe anymore.

Nope. You'll never get out of it alive.

[Nick Danger]

If the right one don't get ya then the left one will...

[dfwgator]

Death will kill you.

[Dog Gone]

Death kills. Stop the presses.

[Servant of the Nine]

I am not so sure about Adults, but I have had several Automobiles that suffered from the syndrome.

So9

[Lloyd227]

Another link for "The Clinton Body Count" ?

:-)

[chilepepper]

I guess these people exceed their MTBF (Mean Time Between Failures) hours...

[freebilly]

You'll never get out of it alive.

It's a life sentence. Nobody gets time off for good behavior....

[bigcheese]

This is scary. I don't want to die a virgin.

[freebilly]

Death will kill you.

But does he have deep pockets...?

[freebilly]

This is scary. I don't want to die a virgin.

If you do, there are a whole lot of jihadists waiting for you on the other side....

[Fresh Wind]

Sudden Instant Death Syndrome. A well known phenomenon in Arkansas.

[exhaustedmomma]

a grown-up version of the "cot death" phenomenon
Never heard of "cot death."

[Loyalist]

Despite all our best efforts, the death rate is still the same: one per person.

[sonofatpatcher2]

Re: Sudden, Unexplained Death May Kill Many Adults

"That why they're all dead, Jim."

[sonofatpatcher2]

Re: Katie Couric supports Colorectal Cancer Awareness Month

Yep, and if you're a Republican,
Katie will do the exam herself.

[Spruce]

It was the Salmon Mousse.

[VeritatisSplendor]

A blood clot could be found on autopsy. An electrical disturbance of the heart with fatal arhythmia would not leave evidence. A young boy in our town died of what was presumed to be this - he had been awake - but the autopsy showed nothing.

Mrs VS

[Constitution Day]

It's always something!

[dfwgator]

Despite all our best efforts, the death rate is still the same: one per person.

What if you're schizophenic?

[ItsOurTimeNow]

Somehow, I just KNOW this is linked to Bush and "Big Oil"!

[MHT]

Who knows how many car accidents, falls, chokings, etc., are really reflections of this syndrome in process rather than the accidents they appear to be.

[Billthedrill]

I don't have a thing to worry abou

[Revolting cat!]

For a moment there I thought the title thread was:

Saddam's Unexplained Death May Kill Many Adults!

Oh, well...

[boris]

My understanding is (was) that magnesium--or the lack of it--is implicated in 'sudden cardiac death.'

I seem to recall that people who live in areas with "hard" water (lots of dissolved minerals) have a lower incidence of sudden cardiac death.

I dunno.

--Boris

[boris]

"I am Mung!"

[LPStar]

In Britain they call it "cot death." In the US, they call it "crib death." In either case, it's when a baby dies for no apparent reason, usually discovered in his or her crib when the baby doesn't wake up as expected.

[MARTIAL MONK]

It finally happened. These folks were taxed to death.

[70times7]

LOL!werfghjnmk,./

[BradyLS]

Back when that show was cool... Before it became Dark, Depressing, Pastel Libs in Space.

[sonofatpatcher2]

Re: Back when that show was cool... Before it became Dark, Depressing, Pastel Libs in Space.

"Bones, he's calling us 'Dark.'"
"He says we're 'Depressing.' Pastel Libs in Space!!!! What about old Brady, Bones?"

"He's dead, Jim."

Want a break from war news? Go to Stark Trek for a laugh or two. Then come back refreshed and loaded for Russian bear!

[BradyLS]

??? I was talking about all that junk from Next Gen forward!

[tiki]

To avoid this particular kind of death just don't sleep and you'll be safe.

We need to require this on all pillows, blankets, mattresses and headboards...and couches

"Warning: Sleep may be fatal."

[mabelkitty]

I still blame Ephedra.

[Trailerpark Badass]

Oh great!