Pathology of Sudden Cardiac Death in a Metropolitan Forensic Institution in Thailand

Main Article Content

Sakda Sathirareuangchai
Chanyanut Wongthongmana

Abstract

            Sudden cardiac death (SCD) is a condition that is relatively common worldwide. However, the data on the characteristic of SCD is sparse in Southeast Asian countries. The authors performed a retrospective review of forensic autopsy report at Siriraj Hospital, the largest hospital on the Western Bangkok metropolitan area. Adult autopsy cases over 18 years of age from 2018 through 2020 were reviewed for demographic data (age, sex, body mass index [BMI], circumstance of death), heart weight, cardiac pathology, and cause of death.


            A total of 794 cases of SCD were identified. The cases were predominantly male (85.4%), with the mean age of 49.4 ± 13.9 years old. The causes of SCD were coronary artery disease (CAD; n=554, 69.8%), followed by structurally normal heart (n=114, 14.4%), cardiomegaly (n=81, 10.2%), cardiomyopathy (n=12, 1.5%), myocarditis (n=11, 1.4%), hypertensive heart disease (n=10, 1.3%), valvular heart disease (n=8, 1%), and congenital heart disease (n=4, 0.5%). The deceased in group 1 (SCD with CAD) had the highest mean of 53.3 ± 12.5 years old, followed by group 2 (SCD with non-CAD causes; 41.3 ± 13.0 years old), and group 3 (SCD with structurally heart; 38.7 ± 11.0 years old). Group 1 and group 2 have the mean BMI over 25 (25.4 ± 5.1 and 26.8 ± 7.5, respectively). While the mean BMI in group 3 is 23.0 ± 3.4. There is a statistical significance in difference between the mean heart weight in group 1 (433.5 ± 106.1 grams), group 2 (458.6 ± 121.6 grams), and group 3 (311.7 ± 65.3 grams).


            This study reveals the causes of adult SCD in a metropolitan area in Thailand. CAD is the leading cause of SCD in every age group. Unexplained SCD or SCD with structurally normal heart is very common in individuals between 18-35 years old, accounting for one-third of cases.

Article Details

How to Cite
Sathirareuangchai, S., & Wongthongmana, C. (2024). Pathology of Sudden Cardiac Death in a Metropolitan Forensic Institution in Thailand . Journal of Criminology and Forensic Science, 10(1), 1–14. retrieved from https://so02.tci-thaijo.org/index.php/forensic/article/view/268747
Section
Research Articles

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