Ja. Goudevenos et al., INCIDENCE AND OTHER EPIDEMIOLOGIC CHARACTERISTICS OF SUDDEN CARDIAC DEATH IN NORTHWEST GREECE, International journal of cardiology, 49(1), 1995, pp. 67-75
Sudden cardiac death (SCD) has not been investigated separately in Gre
ece. The aim of this study is to describe the epidemiological characte
ristics of people dying suddenly out of hospital in an area of Greece.
In 1990, a population based study was started to detect the cases of
people dying suddenly out of hospital (< 1 h after onset of acute symp
toms or <6 h after being seen alive) in a closed population in Northwe
st Greece (Ioannina area: 160 000 inhabitants): During a 3.5 year peri
od, 283 potential cases aged 30-70 years were identified by monitoring
the mortality in the emergency rooms of the two hospitals of the area
, the coroner's office and the death certificates from the Government
Department of Statistics. The diagnosis of SCD was established in 223
(183 men, 40 women; mean ages 59 and 61 years respectively) after visi
ting and interviewing the relatives and/or the family doctors within 1
2 days (range 1-28) after the death, SCD in the study accounts for 50%
of all cardiovascular deaths and is the most common cause of death af
ter neoplasia. The most common place of death was home (151 cases, 68%
), and in 174 cases (78%) deaths occurred while the patients were rela
xing or during routine activities. Prodromal symptoms were reported in
57 cases (26%). The time of day of death showed a circadian variation
, with a peak in the late morning from 9:00 to 12:00. Ninety four (42%
) had a prior history of heart disease. One hundred and ninety one cas
es (86%) occurred in the subgroup of age 50-70 years. The incidence wa
s estimated at 9 SCD/10 000 citizens/year, and 14/10 000/year and 3/10
000 for men and women, respectively. The incidence and the other char
acteristics of SCD in Northwest Greece are similar to those described
in industrialized countries. Any intervention for prevention of SCD in
the population should focus mostly on men aged 50-70 years old.