Anyone can be touched by a sudden cardiac death, even young people.
Particularly shocking, sudden death occurs following a brutal loss of consciousness and a heart stop. If the cases affecting high -level athletes and athletes are the most publicized, this sudden death can reach everyone, whatever the age, even the youngest. Its incidence is estimated at around 60,000 people in France each year, according to the Coeur & Research Foundation. This pathology is therefore a real public health issue in our country and more broadly in the world. On the occasion of the 2025 Congress of the European Cardiology Society, Swedish scientists shared their discovery of symptoms which could alert upstream of a risk of sudden death.
They have looked into cases of “sudden arhythmic death syndrome” (SADS) which represent 22% of the outsourcing dead. “SADS has not been well evaluated, although it is one of the most frequent underlying causes of sudden death in young people, including young athletes”explains in a press release from Dr. Matilda Frisk Torell, author of this study. A cardiac arrhythmia leads to a dysfunction of the heartbeat, which can slow it down or accelerate it abnormally. The team studied data with more than 900 cases of sudden death in young people aged 1 to 36. Death certificates, autopsy reports, medical records, electrocardiograms (ECG) and parental data have been analyzed.
Scientists observed that 33% of people who died of a sudden dead had had hospitalization or consultation in ambulatory care within 180 days (6 months) preceding their deaths. Easily recognizable but neglected symptoms were present in more than half of the subjects before their death (52%) including palpitations, syncopes (total and brief loss of knowledge), nausea/vomiting, epilepsy and epilepsy and “Signs related to an infection” But they did not give additional details for the latter.
These signs should alert, especially in patients with heart problems. The Swedish researchers realized that 11% of the suddenly deceased subjects already had a known arrhythmic disease and 18% a pathological ECG. “Thanks to a better knowledge of the signs and symptoms that can precede the SADS, we could be able to identify young people at risk during medical consultations”concludes Dr. Frisk Torell, co-author of the study.
