Blood alcohol levels in Finnish victims of non-ischaemic sudden cardiac death

AbstractIntroduction Non-ischaemic heart disease (NIHD) is the underlying pathology in∼20% of all sudden cardiac deaths (SCDs). Heavy drinking is known to be associated with SCD due to ischaemic heart disease, but studies on association of recent alcohol consumption and SCD in patients with NIHD are...

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Bibliographic Details
Published in:Annals of Medicine
Main Authors: Janna P. Kauppila, Lasse Pakanen, Katja Porvari, Juha Vähätalo, Lauri Holmström, Juha S. Perkiömäki, Heikki V. Huikuri, M. Juhani Junttila
Format: Article in Journal/Newspaper
Language:English
Published: Taylor & Francis Group 2021
Subjects:
Alcohol
non-ischaemic heart disease
sudden cardiac death
medico-legal autopsy
Medicine
R
Northern Finland
Online Access:https://doi.org/10.1080/07853890.2021.1890204
https://doaj.org/article/fb1b597cfaf84dc590b3ae49da814762
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Summary:AbstractIntroduction Non-ischaemic heart disease (NIHD) is the underlying pathology in∼20% of all sudden cardiac deaths (SCDs). Heavy drinking is known to be associated with SCD due to ischaemic heart disease, but studies on association of recent alcohol consumption and SCD in patients with NIHD are scarce. We evaluated the blood alcohol levels of autopsy verified non-ischaemic SCD victims.Methods Study population was derived from the Finnish Genetic Study of Arrhythmic Events (Fingesture) (n = 5869, mean age 65 ± 12, 79% males). All deaths occurred in Northern Finland during 1998–2017. All victims underwent a medico-legal autopsy. Subjects of SCD due to ischaemic heart disease were excluded.Results A total of 1301 (mean age 57 ± 12, 78% males) victims of SCD due to NIHD were included in the study. The blood ethanol level was elevated in 543 (42%) subjects, out of which the blood alcohol level was ≥0.10%in 339 (62%) subjects and ≥0.15%in 252 (46%) subjects. Male SCD victims had alcohol in blood more frequently compared to females (45% versus 31%, p < .001).Conclusion Elevated blood alcohol level is common in SCD victims due to NIHD, especially in males. Recent alcohol consumption might contribute to the subsequent SCD in many non-ischaemic SCD victims.KEY MESSAGESElevated blood alcohol level is common in victims of sudden cardiac death due to non-ischaemic heart disease, especially in males.Recent alcohol consumption may contribute to the subsequent death in many nonischemic sudden cardiac death victims.

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