A 58-year-old man whom you have followed dies suddenly, spurring you into doing some research on sudden death. Which of the following is the most likely cause for this individual?: (A) extensive coronary atherosclerosis, (B) electrolyte disturbance, (C) pulmonary embolism, (D) acute stroke
Answer is A. Sudden death, defined as death within 1 hour of onset of symptoms, is usually caused by cardiac disease in middle-aged and elderly patients, but in younger age groups noncardiac causes predominate. There is a bimodal distribution in the population, with the first peak before 6 months of age (sudden infant death syndrome). The most common coronary artery finding is extensive chronic coronary atherosclerosis, although acute syndromes do occur.