INCIDENCE OF SUDDEN CARDIAC DEATH IN ZIVINICE MUNICIPALITY, BOSNIA AND HERZEGOVINA, DURING THE YEAR 2007

Introduction: sudden cardiac death (SCD) is an unexpected natural death due to cardiac causes in a short time period in a person with or without preexisting heart disease. Incidence of SCD in general population is 1/1000 inhabitants. Aims: to determine the incidence of SCD at a territory of Zivinice municipality. Patients and methods: this study is a prospective examination of SCD by using the data from death certificates, data received from interviews with competent physicians, witnesses and family members. Definition and criteria of SCD by European Society of Cardiologist and American Heart Association from 2001 and use of International Classification of Diseases, version 10, were applied to determine the number of SCD. Results: sudden cardiac death is the single most frequent cause of death in inhabitants of the Živinice municipality. The incidence of SCD at the municipal Živinice was 1 .4 cases per 1000 inhabitants per year. Mean age was 66.3 (±12,6) years; in average, men were 7.2 years younger than women. The risk for SCD was 1.24-fold higher in men than in women. Correlation between the age and numbers of SCD was high (r=0.89; p<0.005). The most frequent risk factors were age, family history of SCD and/or cardiovascular disease and inadequate physical activity; leading conventional risk factor was hypertension. Witnesses of sudden cardiac death were present in 58.0% cases. None of the persons with out-of-hospital SCD received adequate first aid from bystanders. Conclusion: Sudden cardiac death is the single most frequent cause of death among inhabitants of Zivinice municipality; proportion of SCD within all other causes of death was 22.3%. Incidence of SCD however, is not significantly higher when compared to industrialized countries. A risk for sudden cardiac death is significantly higher and directly depends on the presence and number of risk factors.