What are the most common causes of sudden death?
1. Anomalous Coronary Artery (ACA)
Has another name, Coronary Artery Anomalies are the leading cause of sudden death. In this condition, people who experience it will have heart blood vessels that cannot work optimally.
As a result, heart function has the potential to be disrupted or suddenly stop working.
Apart from congenital abnormalities, Anomalous Coronary Artery (ACA) can also occur due to atherosclerotic plaques due to accumulation of fat in the blood vessels.
If this plaque ruptures, the blood vessels will be blocked so that blood flow to the heart muscle will stop completely.
2. Cardiomyopathy
Cardiomyopathy is a condition when the heart muscle becomes thicker, making it difficult for the heart to pump blood throughout the body.
This is one of the most frequent causes of sudden death at a young age (generally under 30 years).
3. Arrhythmia (Irregular Heartbeat)
The heart has a regular rhythm to be able to support all the functions of vital organs in the body.
If the heart rhythm is disturbed, its performance to circulate blood and support other organs to work will also be disrupted.
One of the common irregular heartbeat found in case of sudden death is long QT syndrome. This disorder causes the heartbeat erratically and causes a person to suddenly lose consciousness.
4. Commotio Cordis
Commotio cordis is the cause of sudden death caused by a blow to the chest. Lately, Buffalo Bills safety Damar Hamlin suffered commotio cordis during the match against the Bengals in Cincinnati on Monday night’s game.
The reason is, a hard blow that leads directly to the chest can cause arrhythmia (irregular heartbeat) or more precisely ventricular fibrillation is a type of irregular heart rhythm (arrhythmia) that causes commotio cordis.
If it is not immediately detected and treated, then the patient has a high chance of experiencing sudden death.
5. Strokes
Stroke is a condition when the blood supply to the brain is disrupted due to a blockage (ischemic stroke) or rupture of a blood vessel (hemorrhagic stroke).
This condition causes certain areas of the brain to be deprived of the supply of oxygen and nutrients resulting in the death of brain cells.
The brain has a limit to tolerate low oxygen levels. The body will respond by maintaining blood pressure. This is done to ensure the body gets enough oxygen.
Cases of accidents that cause bleeding in the brain that exceeds the body’s tolerance limit can cause death.
In addition, cases of embolic blockages that trigger a reduced amount of oxygen to the brain can also be one of the causes of death.
6. Epilepsy
Sudden death is one of the dangerous complications of epilepsy. This death is known as sudden unexpected death in epilepsy (SUDEP).
The mechanism that occurs is thought to be due to a heart attack and shortness of breath triggered by a seizure. SUDEP is the cause of 38 percent of deaths from epilepsy.
The diagnosis of SUDEP is made after death has occurred. To be sure, an in-depth investigation is needed.
Always check your health condition thoroughly to avoid the six diseases above. Maintaining a healthy lifestyle is the main key to being healthy.
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