Open Access

ARTICLE

Sudden cardiac death in the young: Epidemiology and overview

Mark S. Link

Cardiac Electrophysiology, UT Southwestern Medical Center, Dallas, Texas, USA

* Corresponding Author: Mark S. Link, Cardiac Electrophysiology, UT Southwestern, Clinical Heart Center, 5939 Harry Hines Blvd., 8th Floor, Suite HP8.110, Dallas, TX 75390-9198. Email:

Congenital Heart Disease 2017, 12(5), 597-599. https://doi.org/10.1111/chd.12494

Abstract

Sudden cardiac death (SCD), particularly in the young athlete, is a rare though devastating event for families, institutions, and communities at large. It can also affect the nonathlete and occur at rest, although most commonly associated with exercise activities and/or sports participation. Common causes of SCD include cardiomyopathies, particularly hypertrophic cardiomyopathy in the United States, congenital coronary artery anomalies, channelopathies, among others. This report will explore an overview of the prevalence and causes of SCD in the young.

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