Causes of Sudden Cardiac Arrest in Young Adults
Sudden Cardiac Arrest in Young Adults occurs when the heart forcefully quits pumping blood. It's extremely
serious, and it happens to young, healthy people. This is how you can know if
you're in danger of having SCA, what to do if you suspect someone is having
this problem, and how to prevent this from happening to kids.
Sudden cardiac arrest is a leading cause of death in young adults
Sudden cardiac arrest can strike anyone at any time, but it's most common in men between the ages of 30 and 50.
Sudden cardiac arrest (SCA) is a leading cause of death in young adults, accounting for up to 500,000 deaths each year in the United States. It's also known as sudden adult death syndrome. SCA happens when electrical impulses in the heart go haywire, causing the heart to suddenly stop beating. The result is a fatal loss of blood flow to the brain and other vital organs.
Athletes are more likely than others to develop
SCA. In fact, 20 percent to 50 percent of all SCA cases occur during or
immediately after strenuous physical activity. The condition is also more
likely to occur in people who have a family history of cardiac problems or who
have experienced symptoms such as chest pain or shortness of breath.
Sudden cardiac arrest is caused by an abnormal heartbeat
Sudden cardiac arrest (SCA) or sudden arrhythmic death syndrome (SADS) is a condition in which the heart abruptly and unexpectedly stops beating. It leads to a sudden loss of blood flow and oxygen to the brain and other vital organs, causing them to stop functioning.
SCA is most commonly caused by an abnormal heartbeat called ventricular fibrillation. It can also be caused by ventricular tachycardia, supraventricular tachycardia, or asystole. SCA that results from these conditions is known as secondary SCA.
The immediate cause of SCA varies depending on the type of arrhythmia. For example, it may be due to inadequate circulation due to blood clots or ruptured blood vessels. The underlying cause may be genetic or related to complications from heart attacks, infections, drug use, or exposure to toxins such as alcohol and tobacco. Other factors that might increase your risk of SCA include:
Heart disease — Such as coronary artery disease or heart failure; enlarged heart; congenital heart defects; high blood pressure; diabetes; high cholesterol levels in your blood
Family history — If a close family member such as a parent or sibling died suddenly from SCA
Age — SCA can happen
to anyone of any age, but it's more common in men than women, in people who
have had a heart attack before, and in those who have high blood pressure or
high cholesterol.
How to reduce risk of Sudden Cardiac Arrest in Young Adults
Treatment of cardiac arrest should focus on decreasing the risk of its occurrence, on improving cerebral and myocardial oxygenation and perfusion during CPR and on early defibrillation.
Young patients are at high risk of SCA because they have an increased incidence of structural heart disease and a commonly presenting life-threatening cardiac dysrhythmia is ventricular fibrillation. The risk for SCA increases with age and varies with sex, the previous history of coronary artery disease, diabetes mellitus, and comorbidities such as hypertension, obesity, valvular heart disease, cardiomyopathy and sleep apnea.
To decrease the risk of cardiac arrest due to
ventricular fibrillation (VF) it is essential to maintain good control of
cardiovascular risk factors like hypertension and hypercholesterolaemia. If
present it is important to treat impaired glucose tolerance or diabetes
mellitus (DM), according to current guidelines. Advanced age and DM are
associated with a higher incidence of VF.
Conclusion
The most common cause of death by Sudden
Cardiac Arrest (SCA) in young adults is coronary arterial thrombosis, which
occurs when a blood clot forms in the heart. Only 10 percent of people who
experience an SCA will survive. While several lifestyle changes can help
mitigate that risk, such as exercising regularly and maintaining a healthy
weight, there are also preventative measures that can be taken. First and
foremost is to ensure that you have all of your cardiovascular risk factors
assessed by a physician of a heart
speciality hospital on a regular basis.
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