Sudden Cardiac Death in India: A Growing Concern

The incidence of sudden cardiac death (SCD) is based on studies from North America and Western Europe with very few countries in Asia having conducted robust studies evaluating the occurrence of SCD. This paper reviewed published data on SCD, with a focus on India. In recent years, varying methods of assessment such as verbal autopsies, questionnaires, and quantification of surrogate endpoints such as cardiovascular disease profiles have been used to estimate the incidence of SCD. These studies have shown that the incidence of SCD is on the rise, especially in the urban regions, which may be largely attributed to the increase in prevalence of coronary artery disease, diabetes and hypertension in India. These studies have shown that the risk stratification and management approach for SCD are conspicuously varied and there is a need for establishing a systematic approach for estimating the incidence and risk factors of SCD in India.