What is Sudden Death?
Death is said to be sudden & unexpected when a person not known to have been suffering from any kind of life-threatening or dangerous diseases, trauma or injury, or poisoning is found to die or dies within 24 hours after the onset of the terminal symptoms. 
Causes of Sudden Death
- The cardiovascular system causes: 50%
- The respiratory system causes: 15-23%
- Central Nervous System causes: 10-18%
- The gastrointestinal system causes: 6-8%
- The genito-urinary system causes: 3-5%
- Miscellaneous: 5-10%
Cardiovascular System Causes
It is the most common cause of sudden death worldwide and there are the following common conditions or diseases;
- Coronary artery atherosclerosis
- Valvular heart disease – stenosis & insufficiency of mitral & aortic valves
- Congenital heart disease – atrial & ventricular septal defect, coarctation of the aorta
- Hypertensive heart disease
- Acute pericarditis, myocarditis, & endocarditis
- Cardiomyopathy
- Rupture of aortic aneurysm
- Infective endocarditis
Respiratory System Causes
It is the second most common cause of sudden death worldwide, and there are the following common conditions or diseases;
- Pulmonary embolism
- Lobar pneumonia/bronchopneumonia
- Massive haemoptysis in pulmonary tuberculosis
- Acute oedema of the glottis/lungs
- Pulmonary oedema
- Pleural effusion
- Pneumothorax
- Lung abscess
- Pulmonary neoplasm
- Foreign body infection
Central Nervous System Causes
- Intracranial haemorrhage- cerebral, cerebellar, pontine, subarachnoid
- Cerebral thrombosis & embolism
- Meningitis
- Acute polyencephalytis
- Brain tumour & abscess
- Idiopathic epilepsy
- Carotid artery thrombosis
Gastrointestinal Causes
- Haemorrhage & perforation of stomach & intestine from peptic ulcer, oesophageal varices, malignancy
- Strangulated hernia
- Acute appendicitis
- Paralytic ileus
- Rupture of liver abscess
- Acute haemorrhagic pancreatitis
- Intestinal obstruction
Genitourinary Causes
- Chronic nephritis
- Nephrolithiasis
- Rupture of tubal pregnancy
- Tuberculosis of kidney
- Uterine haemorrhage
- Twisting of ovarian cyst
- Obstructive hydro & pyonephrosis
Miscellaneous Causes
- Anaphylaxis
- Mismatched blood transfusion
- Haemochromatosis
- Blood dyscrasias
- Cerebral malaria – malignant malaria
- Reflex vagal inhibition
- Shock due to emotional excitement
- Hyperthyroidism
Age-wise sudden death
- In infants – congenital
- In children, adolescents and young adults
- Cardiomyopathies
- Myocarditis
- Coronary artery anomalies
- In adults
- Coronary insufficiency caused by coronary artery disease
- Valvular diseases
- Myocardial diseases
- A disease of the conduction system
