Risk Factor and Prediction Modeling for Sudden Cardiac Death in Women With Coronary Artery Disease

Abstract

Sudden cardiac death (SCD) is an important clinical and public health problem, causing approximately 250 000 to 300 000 deaths each year in the United States.1 Several population-based studies have suggested that women who experience SCD are less likely to have a history of clinical cardiovascular disease,2,3 evidence of structural heart disease, or left ventricular (LV) dysfunction than men with SCD.4 In the Nurses' Health Study, more than two-thirds of women with SCD events had no reported history of cardiac disease. Women with CAD are also reported to have a lower risk of ventricular arrhythmias and SCD events than men.5,6 These studies have also identified SCD risk factors that include both traditional ones associated with CAD2,7 and nontraditional measures such as depression8 and dietary factors.9-11 Although these studies provide important insights into SCD among women across the general population, very little data exist on the risk factors and predictors of SCD in women with CAD.