Adherence to a Low-Risk, Healthy Lifestyle and Risk of Sudden Cardiac Death Among Women

Abstract

Sudden cardiac death (SCD) accounts for more than half of all cardiac deaths, with an incidence of approximately 250 000 to 310 000 cases annually in the United States.^1,2 Although coronary heart disease (CHD) underlies most SCD events, SCD is the first manifestation of CHD for the majority of individuals,³ particularly among women.⁴ Efforts aimed at primary prevention of SCD focus primarily on placement of implantable cardioverter-defibrillators in patients with severe left ventricular dysfunction. However, only 25% to 30% of SCD events occur among this high-risk subgroup and these efforts therefore do not address the majority of SCD events.³ Prevention strategies applicable to populations at lower risk are needed to reduce SCD.