Leading charity asks if
mystery sudden adult deaths (SADS) could be just the ‘tip of the iceberg’.
A new study published today (March 27th) from
researchers funded by the British Heart Foundation (BHF) shows that the
number of people who collapse and die suddenly without explanation could
be much greater than is recorded in official statistics - with the cause
of these tragic deaths remaining a mystery.
The disturbing new findings, featured in today’s
Quarterly Journal of Medicine (2003; 96: 269-279), show that in just over
4% of sudden deaths among apparently “previously healthy” adults under
the age of 65, no cause can be found - despite a full post-mortem
examination.
At present, there is no nationally recognised name or
category which can be used for such unexplained deaths when they are
officially certified. This lack of an agreed label for the condition
creates an unclear picture of the exact number of ‘victims’ and brings
further distress to bereaved families who are left with no reason for the
loss of their loved one.
The survey, which involved a sample of 67 coroners
across England, was carried out by a team of researchers at the National
Heart & Lung Institute, London in the early 1990s. The people studied
all died suddenly aged between 16 and 64 years, and had no previously
documented heart disease, but were found at post-mortem examination to
have either a cardiac cause or no identifiable cause of death.
Lead researcher, Dr Tim Bowker, Associate Medical
Director at the British Heart Foundation, says;
“It has long been recognised that there are
occasions when an apparently previously healthy adult dies suddenly and
unexpectedly and any abnormalities found at post-mortem are minimal or
non-existent. In such cases it can be very difficult to identify a precise
cause of death. This leads us to question whether these deaths are rare or
represent the tip of a larger iceberg.
Our findings suggest to us that these deaths should
be classed as the adult equivalent of the sudden infant death syndrome (S.I.D.S.).
If the condition is more frequent that we suspect - particularly if across
the country pathologists and coroners are using different words to
describe the cause of death - we need to give the condition a “name”
to help us gain a greater understanding of the scale of the problem.”
Prior experience with “cot deaths” indicates that this approach could
have a major impact. Once cot death became officially labeled as the
“sudden infant death syndrome”, it was possible to collect and collate
the relevant data, identify possible causes and take steps to protect
infants from such tragedies – resulting in a 70% fall in the number of
deaths over a period of 10 years (Foundation of SIDS, 2002).
The new study estimates that in England, 3,500
apparently healthy adults die suddenly from cardiac or unexplained causes
each year. In about 150 of these no cause can be identified, but
many may be due to electrical abnormalities, some of which are inherited.
However, as electrical measurements of the heart can only be made when a
person is alive, any such electrical abnormalities (which might hold the
vital clues to an underlying condition) cannot be detected after death.
Dr Bowker adds;
“Not until it is accepted practice to identify all
these unexplained deaths and to label them as such, will it become
possible to study them systematically, identify their causes and find ways
of preventing them from occurring – and the name we propose is ‘sudden
adult death syndrome’ or ‘SADS’.”
The British Heart Foundation has subsequently funded a
further epidemiological survey which focuses entirely on the unexplained
cases, in order to gain further understanding of their causes.
Medical Director of the British Heart Foundation,
Professor Sir Charles George, says:
"This study takes us another step closer to
unravelling the mystery that surrounds the tragedy of healthy adults dying
prematurely from sudden adult death. Because the ‘alarm bells’ only
start ringing after the death of a seemingly well adult, we hope our new
findings will encourage people to look back into their family’s medical
history and to think about whether any close relatives may have died young
from unexplained causes.”
He adds; “At this stage, there is not sufficient
evidence to back calls for population screening. What is needed is further
research and accurate pathology to assess the scale of the problem and
widespread support and follow up of surviving relatives.
ENDS
Previous BHF Press releases
BHF
scientists discover new test for Sudden Adult Death
- 2nd June 2003
Could
remedies be making people victims of
mystery heart killer? 29th April 2003
For further information, to arrange interview with
members of the research team or for details of case studies, please
contact Jo Hudson at the BHF press office on 0207 487178 or 07764 290381
(out of hours). ISDN interviews can be arranged by calling the Press
Office on 020 7487 7172.
Concerned families can contact ‘Cardiac Risk in the
Young’ (CRY) for further information or advice about SADS - sudden adult death
on 01737 363 222 or www.c-r-y.org.uk
Notes:
The British Heart Foundation
plays an important role in funding medical research. It also funds
education, both of the public and of health professionals, and in
providing life-saving cardiac equipment and support for rehabilitation and
patient care.
|
