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Obesity and sudden unexpected deaths in Osaka, Japan
Hisanaga Kuroki1, Hiromasa Inoue, Morio Iino
1Department of Legal Medicine, Osaka University Graduate School of Medicine, 2-2-F3 Yamada-oka, Suita-shi, Osaka 565-0871, Japan. kuroki@legal.med.osaka-u.ac.jp
Insights
Sudden unexpected deaths (SUD) from circulatory diseases are linked to obesity and heart enlargement. Higher body mass index (BMI) and degree of cardiac hypertrophy (DCH) correlate with increased circulatory disease mortality in postmortem analyses.
Area of Science:
- Forensic Pathology
- Cardiovascular Pathology
- Public Health
Background:
- Sudden unexpected death (SUD) from circulatory diseases is a significant concern.
- Obesity and cardiac hypertrophy are potential contributing factors to SUD.
- Understanding these associations is crucial for public health initiatives.
Purpose of the Study:
- To investigate the association between obesity, cardiomegaly, hypertension, and SUD due to circulatory diseases.
- To analyze the prevalence of these risk factors in SUD cases.
- To provide data for risk assessment and prevention strategies.
Main Methods:
- Analysis of 649 SUD cases (402 postmortems) aged 10-59 years in Osaka, 1997.
- Calculation of Body Mass Index (BMI) and Degree of Cardiac Hypertrophy (DCH).
- Correlation of BMI, DCH, and history of hypertension with cause of death.
Main Results:
- Circulatory diseases accounted for 54% of male and 64% of female SUD.
- In the 50-59 age group, circulatory diseases caused 60% of male and 75% of female SUD.
- High DCH (>=20%), hypertension history, and high BMI (>=24) were associated with 80-84% of circulatory SUD.
Conclusions:
- Obesity and cardiomegaly are strongly associated with sudden unexpected deaths from circulatory causes.
- Hypertension as a past illness is a significant risk factor for circulatory SUD.
- These findings highlight the importance of managing obesity and hypertension to reduce SUD.
Abstract:
Obesity and cardiomegaly/hypertension may be strongly associated with sudden unexpected deaths (SUD) due to circulatory diseases. Six hundred and forty-nine SUD involving 402 postmortems, aged between 10 and 59 years in Osaka in 1997 were analyzed using the calculated body mass index (BMI) and the calculated degree of cardiac hypertrophy (DCH) by Hitosugi (Legal Med 1999;1:80). The percentage of individuals who died due to circulatory diseases was 54% in men and 64% in women, and at ages 50-59 years, 60% in men and 75% in women. It was 80% with DCH>/=20%, 84% for individuals with hypertension as a past illness and 80% with BMI>/=24. Thirty-four percent of all SUD have cardiomegaly more than 20%, 41% have BMI more than 24, and 17% have at least hypertension as a past illness.