Multimorbidity and the Risk of Sudden Cardiac Death: Findings From a Prospective Cohort Study

Area of Science:

• Cardiology
• Public Health
• Epidemiology

Background:

• Multimorbidity, the coexistence of multiple chronic diseases, is a growing public health concern.
• Understanding its impact on cardiovascular outcomes like sudden cardiac death (SCD) is crucial for risk stratification and prevention.

Purpose of the Study:

• To investigate the association between multimorbidity status and the risk of sudden cardiac death (SCD).
• To determine if the level of multimorbidity (number of conditions) influences SCD risk.

Main Methods:

• Prospective cohort study involving 2598 men aged 42-61 from the Kuopio Ischemic Heart Disease (KIHD) study.
• Multimorbidity defined as ≥2 chronic conditions (hypertension, CVD, diabetes, CKD, lung diseases).
• Hazard ratios (HRs) with 95% CIs were calculated adjusting for cardiovascular risk factors, socioeconomic, and lifestyle characteristics.

Main Results:

• During a median 27.8-year follow-up, 296 SCD events occurred.
• Men with multimorbidity had a 1.97 times higher risk of SCD (HR 1.97; 95% CI, 1.54-2.51) compared to those without.
• SCD risk increased with the number of conditions: HR 1.93 (95% CI, 1.50-2.47) for 2-3 conditions and HR 2.66 (95% CI, 1.34-5.28) for 4-5 conditions.

Conclusions:

• Multimorbidity is a significant independent predictor of increased sudden cardiac death risk in middle-aged and older men.
• The risk of SCD rises progressively as the number of coexisting chronic health conditions increases.
• These findings highlight the importance of managing multimorbidity for cardiovascular event prevention.