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Sudden Death in Young Adults Mostly Due to Heart Disease and Drug Overdose: Presented at ASCP By Lexa W. Lee NEW ORLEANS, LA -- October 30, 2007 -- Heart disease and drug intoxication are major causes of sudden unexpected deaths in young individuals without significant medical history, as indicated by findings presented here at the Annual Meeting of the American Society of Clinical Pathology (ASCP). Researchers conducted a study to determine how often an anatomical cause of sudden death can be identified in a population of young individuals, according to Zhaohai Yang, MD, Resident Pathologist, University of Alabama at Birmingham, Alabama, United States. Dr. Yang and colleagues conducted a retrospective review of autopsies performed during a recent 3-year period on 16 males and 5 females aged 14 to 40 years who had no known history of significant medical disease and whose deaths were sudden and unexpected. Of the total cases, 17 drug screens were performed; 48% were positive for illegal drugs -- the major cause of death in these individuals. Anatomic causes of death were identified in 52%. Of the total sample; 48% died from heart disease. There were three deaths due to coronary artery disease/acute myocardial infaction, five from myocardial fibrosis/cardiomegaly with presumed arrhythmia, one from sarcoidosis with extensive heart involvement, one from congenital heart disease (absence of left circumflex coronary artery and a bicuspid aortic valve). The remaining case in the total population died of pulmonary embolism. A history of illegal drug use was reported in seven patients; five of these died of drug intoxication/overdose; two had negative drug screens and died of natural causes. The study findings show that drug intoxication and unsuspected medical conditions are equally important causes of sudden unexpected death in young individuals without significant medical history, the researchers concluded. Although some subjects had a history of drug abuse, their deaths were due to unsuspected medical conditions. Heart disease was the most common cause of natural sudden death, a finding that is supported by previous studies, they said. [Presentation title: Sudden Death in Young Individuals Without Significant Medical History. Poster 88] E-mail this page to a friend or colleague! To print, use this version