P2527Young sudden cardiac death in England and Wales: a decade of change

Background/Purpose: Sudden cardiac death (SCD) is a devastating condition at any age, but its impact is far greater in young individuals. The authors reviewed causes of death in individuals aged 1 to 34 years based on Office for National Statistics (ONS) mortality data from 2011 to 2014 and compared the results with corresponding data from 1 decade prior to establish temporal trends in SCD. Methods and results: International classification of diseases-10 codes representative of cardiac deaths were divided into 4 categories; A1: definite cardiac deaths with no structural heart disease identified at post-mortem, A2: definite cardiac deaths with structural heart disease identified at post-mortem, A3: definite cardiac deaths with indeterminate cause, and B: possible cardiac deaths. Between 2011 to 2014 there was an average of 377 (SD 4.9) definite cardiac deaths per annum (Class A1 + A2 + A3) translating to 1.6 per 100 000 person years or just over 7 deaths/week. The incidence of sudden arrhythmic death syndrome (SADS) more than doubled from 13.5% the decade prior to 28.1%, matching ischemic heart disease as the 2 commonest causes of SCD in this population. This was balanced by decreases in all other causes of SCD. Male preponderance for SCD was unchanged, and age-related trends remained consistent, with SADS and cardiomyopathy commonest in the 10 to 19 age group, and ischemic heart disease most prevalent in those above 30 years. Sudden cardiac deaths in the young exceeded deaths from land transport accidents, suicide and accidental poisoning for those 4 years and below.