The first data from an Australian registry of sudden cardiac deaths have shown that rates are much higher than expected in people aged under 50.
Figures for Victoria released by the EndUCD.org registry how that about 750 people aged under 50 experienced a sudden cardiac arrest over the 12-month period from April 2019, with 660 of them dying.
Project leader Associate Professor Andre La Gerche, a cardiologist at the Baker Institute, said researchers had predicted only about 400 such deaths, and the figures showed that sudden cardiac death was one of the main causes of death among people under 50, on a par with suicide.
“Unexplained cardiac death is killing more young Victorians than breast, bowel or lung cancer,” he said.
“What’s hard is that while we can clearly see how cancer or road trauma deaths can be prevented, and have developed strong community health campaigns to do so, when it comes to unexplained cardiac death we remain largely in the dark.
Professor La Gerche noted that cardiovascular deaths have declined dramatically over the last 40 years for older Australians, but remain largely unchanged for those under 50.
And most of the younger people who died from sudden cardiac arrest did not have the typical risk-factors for heart disease, nor any warning signs.
“In general, they are healthy, active and have had no reason to seek medical attention. It almost always comes as a massive shock.