Incidence and causes of sudden death in a university hospital in eastern Saudi Arabia

Sudden death is non-violent, unexpected death occurring less than 24 hours from the onset of symptoms. In this retrospective descriptive study we report the frequency and main causes of sudden deaths in relation to total deaths at a large university hospital in the Eastern region of Saudi Arabia over a 6-year period. The medical files of 1273 consecutive deaths were retrospectively investigated and showed 223 (17.5%) cases of sudden death. Males were 56.0% of cases. The incidence of sudden death was highest in the 2 age extremes (32.2% were infants and 31.4% were elderly). There was a seasonal variation, with the highest incidence (29.6%) during spring followed by summer (25.1%). The most important direct causes of sudden death were cardiovascular diseases in 59.2% of cases, respiratory disease in 24.7%, diabetes mellitus in 23.8%, liver disease in 23.3% and infectious disease in 20.2%.