Health. Men account for two-thirds of sudden death victims among young people.

There sudden death Sudden cardiac death is defined as natural death with sudden loss of consciousness within one hour of the onset of symptoms. " Sudden arrhythmic death syndrome has not been adequately studied ," said Dr. Matilda Frisk Torell of the University of Gothenburg during a presentation at the 2025 European Society of Cardiology Congress. However, it is one of the most common causes of sudden cardiac death in young people , including young athletes .

To determine possible warning signs of this type of death, the researcher relied on the SUDDY cohort. (SUDden Cardiac Death in the Young ), which included 903 cases of sudden cardiac death in people aged 1 to 36 years in Sweden between 2000 and 2010. She and her team carefully reviewed death certificates, autopsy reports, medical records, electrocardiograms (ECGs) and family history.

Identifiable signs

Nearly two-thirds of the victims (64%) were men, with a median age of 23. The study reveals, above all, warning signs that health professionals could look out for:

• 33% of victims had been hospitalized or had consulted a doctor in the 6 months preceding their death
• 4.2% had already been hospitalized for syncope (compared to 0.41% in the control group)
• 3.5% had already been hospitalized for seizures (compared to 0.14%)
• 11% suffered from a known arrhythmic disease
• 18% had a pathological ECG, with ventricular pre-excitation (premature activation of the ventricles) being the most commonly observed abnormality

Furthermore, 52% of victims had experienced symptoms before their death: palpitations, nausea, vomiting, or signs of infection. Finally, 17% of cases had a psychiatric diagnosis and 11% were taking psychotropic medication.

" With a better understanding of the signs and symptoms that can precede sudden arrhythmic death, we could identify young people at risk during medical consultations ," emphasizes Dr. Frisk Torell. Our results also highlight the need to further study psychiatric illnesses and treatments as risk factors. Pre-sport consultations are good opportunities for better screening. "