Atherosclerotic cardiovascular disease and sudden deaths among young adults in Wayne County. Based on postmortem records at the Wayne County Medical Examiners' Office from 1982 to 1986, autopsy results indicated that the deaths of 129 persons aged 20-34 resulted from heart disease: 51 of these deaths were attributed to atherosclerotic cardiovascular disease (ASCVD), 29 to hypertensive cardiovascular disease, 28 to cardiomyopathy, and 21 to other cardiac causes. The majority of the deaths due to ASCVD occurred among men, both black and white, followed by black women, and the incidence increased with age. All of these deaths due to ASCVD were sudden and accounted for all deaths due to ischemic heart disease in this age group among Wayne County residents. Diabetes mellitus, left ventricular hypertrophy, a history of seizures, and the recent ingestion of alcohol were all found to be associated with sudden death from ASCVD in this group. Obesity did not seem to be a significant factor. These data suggest that ASCVD is not rare as a cause of death in young adults and some of the risk factors identified in older subjects also operate in this age group. 