Demographics and Trends of Sudden Cardiac Death-Related Mortality in the United States, 1999 to 2022

There is a paucity of data regarding mortality trends among individuals experiencing sudden cardiac death (SCD). Therefore, we aimed to investigate the trends in SCD-related mortality across all age groups in the United States.

This retrospective cohort analysis used the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention Wide-ranging Online Data for Epidemiologic Research data from 1999 to 2022. The study focused on patients of all age groups with SCD listed as either a contributing or underlying cause of death. Age-adjusted mortality rates per 100 000 were calculated and stratified by sex, race, ethnicity, region, state, and place of death.

A total of 311 218 SCD-related deaths were reported. Overall, age-adjusted mortality rates declined from 4.52 (95% CI, 4.44-4.60) in 1999 to 3.51 (95% CI, 3.43-3.56) in 2022. A downward trend was observed from 1999 to 2018 (APC, -1.94 [95% CI, -2.23 to -1.69]), followed by a sharp rise from 2018 to 2022 (APC, 7.07 [95% CI, 3.38-9.46]). Men consistently had higher age-adjusted mortality rates than women (5.23 versus 2.71). Non-Hispanic Black individuals had the highest age-adjusted mortality rates (5.66), and Non-Hispanic Asians had the lowest (1.23). Mortality rates were greater in nonmetropolitan and southern US regions. States in the upper 90th percentile (eg, Mississippi, North Carolina) had markedly higher mortality burdens than those in the lower 10th percentile (eg, Arizona, Maryland). Individuals aged ≥85 years had the highest crude mortality rate (51.3).

Although SCD-related mortality declined over 2 decades, rates have risen significantly since 2018. Persistent disparities by sex, race, geography, and age call for urgent, targeted public health interventions.