YSCD.org.uk

Behind every statistic is a child, a family, a community. . . a tragedy

Young sudden cardiac death is rare compared to cardiac deaths in the elderly and middle-aged, but it is not rare compared to the other most common causes of death in young people (e.g. road traffic accidents, suicides, accidental poisonings, etc – http://www.ons.gov.uk/ons/rel/subnational-health1/leading-causes-of-death/2009/index.html). Many medical professionals and policy advisors still incorrectly think a young sudden cardiac death is as rare as being killed by lightning – which is simply wrong. This thinking is outdated, dangerous if applied to medical decision making and should have no place in modern scientific reports or policy recommendations.