Sudden adult death: an autopsy series of 534 cases with gender and control comparison.

ABSTRACT

The aim of our study was to highlight the epidemiological difference in adult sudden death between males and females. The type of pathologies found in adult victims of sudden death was compared to control cases in order to determine the most significant pathologies involved in sudden death. Among all autopsies performed between 1995 and 2009, 534 adult cases of sudden death and 154 cases who violently died were respectively selected. For each case, a complete autopsy was carried out, including systematic histological examination of all major organs. The sudden death population was composed of 369 males and 165 females. There was no statistical difference regarding age between males and female. Sudden death took place more often at home in women than in men (p < 0.0001). A stressful event was more frequently found in men than in women (p = 0.03). Deaths caused by cardiovascular diseases were more frequent in males than in females, especially Coronary Artery Disease (CAD) (p < 0.0001). Cardiomyopathy was more often the cause of death in women, particularly Arrythmogenic Right Ventricular Cardiomyopathy (ARVC). Cardiac pathologies were found in 45% of the control cases. CAD and ARVC were statistically more frequent in the sudden death group than in the control group. According to our study, profile of sudden death is different between males and females. Those data seem to be important for clinicians involved in prevention programs of sudden death, as they can adapt their screening according to the gender.