The news of the sudden collapse and death of three young, apparently healthy individuals, all doctors, in Kochi last month, has yet again triggered anxiety amongst the general population if the incidence of Sudden Cardiac Death (SCD) has been rising amongst the young and if these deaths could have been prevented.
Doctors, however, point out that young onset coronary artery disease (CAD) and SCD are not uncommon. In fact, an estimated seven million lives are lost every year globally to SCD, which is responsible for at least 50% of deaths due to CAD.
The first study on SCD in India by Rao et al in 2012 put the overall mortality due to SCD in India at 10.3% (roughly estimated at 7 lakh cases of SCD annually) with 21% of the deaths in people who were below 50 years of age.
