Day-of-the-week variation of sudden unexpected cardiac death

• Published in: International Journal of Cardiology Cardiovascular Risk and Prevention
• Main Authors: Hanna Latola, Severi M. Mattila, Lasse Pakanen, Lauri Holmström, Janna Kauppila, Olavi H. Ukkola, M Juhani Junttila, Heikki V. Huikuri, Juha S. Perkiömäki
• Format: Article in Journal/Newspaper
• Language: English
• Published: Elsevier 2024
• Subjects: Sudden cardiac death; Septadian variation; Medico-legal autopsy; Diseases of the circulatory (Cardiovascular) system; RC666-701; Northern Finland
• Online Access: https://doi.org/10.1016/j.ijcrp.2024.200246; https://doaj.org/article/f294c4641cad4e97a864068c0ef344fa

Background: There has been some controversy about the day-of-the-week (septadian) variation of unexpected sudden cardiac death (SCD). Methods: We evaluated the incidence of unexpected SCD on different days of the week in a consecutive series of 5869 SCD victims from Northern Finland [the FINGESTURE study (Finnish Genetic Study of Arrhythmic Events)]. As it is mandatory in Finland, a medico-legal autopsy was performed on all unexpected sudden death victims. The autopsies were performed between the years 1998–2017. Results: The mean incidence of unexpected SCD was higher at weekends (during the days from Friday to Sunday, peaking on Saturday) than during the days from Monday to Thursday (8.54 ± 0.72 vs. 7.22 ± 0.19 SCDs per day of the week per 100,000 inhabitants per year, p < 0.001). Regardless of sex or ischemic versus non-ischemic etiology of SCD, the distribution of the occurrence of SCD among the days of the week was similar compared with the whole SCD cohort. Conclusion: The incidence of unexpected SCD was highest at weekends (during the days from Friday to Sunday, peaking on Saturday).