Sudden cardiac death: an 11-year postmortem analysis in the region of Epirus, Greece.

The aim of the study was to determine the rate of sudden cardiac death in people aged between 1 and 80 years, and to investigate its etiology. All autopsies performed during an 11-year period were reviewed. Circumstances of death, individual's information, and post-mortem findings were determined. Among 1254 sudden death autopsies performed during the study period, 688 cases were recognized as sudden cardiac death (79.8% males). The estimated annual frequency of sudden cardiac death in the region of Epirus was 18.6/100,000. The major cause of death was ischemic heart disease (82%), and in 2.6%, death was unexplained. Among our study's total population, 4.1% were <35 years old. The estimated annual rate of sudden cardiac death in the population 1-35 years old was 1.78/100,000. The most common etiology in that age group was atherosclerosis (17.8%), myocarditis (10.7%), and cardiomyopathies (10.7%), whereas 39.3% exhibited structurally normal heart. Although ischemic heart disease accounts for most of sudden cardiac death episodes, many other causes contribute. Most sudden deaths in the young were "unascertained". The likely cause of death in these cases might be a primary arrhythmogenic disorder. Correct identification of such cases at autopsy will enable an appropriate clinical screening of surviving relatives.