What Risk Factors Predispose A Person To Sudden Cardiac Arrest?

What Risk Factors Predispose A Person To Sudden Cardiac Arrest?

Risk Factors Predispose A Person To Sudden Cardiac Arrest

Sudden cardiac arrest knows no gender or race. It also does not recognize age. Even when you are of perfect health, you can still suffer from this type of cardiac arrest if there is a problem with your heart. It occurs when there is an abrupt or sudden interference with normal heart function. In this case, an electrical disturbance in the heart interrupts its routine pumping action, causing the body to go into cardiac arrest.

Additionally, sudden cardiac arrest may occur when you experience difficulty in breathing or lose consciousness altogether.

This type of cardiac arrest is not a heart attack. In fact, these two differ in that the former occurs when blood does not get to a specific part of the heart due to blockage. On the other hand, a heart attack occurs when tissues in your heart die because of a lack of blood flow through the arteries. More interesting is the fact that a heart attack can result in sudden cardiac arrest.

Just like a heart attack, sudden cardiac arrest can also lead to death if not treated immediately. But with quick medical attention, chances of survival are high.

Whether you think that you are prone to this condition or simply want to be knowledgeable enough about the unknown, it is best to understand what can make you inclined or liable to it. Here are 3 risk factors that predispose a person to sudden cardiac arrest;


Risk Factors That Predispose To Sudden Cardiac Arrest

1. A Family History Of Coronary Heart Disease

If a family member has experienced sudden cardiac arrest or if this condition is commonplace in your family, then it makes you even more susceptible. According to scientific research, your genetic blueprint contributes to your risk of heart attack and even more specifically, sudden cardiac arrest.

This is because the condition can be caused by a complex interaction of the genes that you inherited from your parents. While you may not be able to prevent this if it runs in the family, you can still be aware of the risk and choose to live a healthy lifestyle.

By controlling your blood pressure, being physically fit, partaking in exercise, and checking your cholesterol level, you may lessen your chances of encountering this type of cardiac arrest.


2. A Previous Heart Attack

If you have suffered a heart attack at one point or another, you can never be too careful. While a majority of heart attacks do not lead to sudden cardiac arrest, a previous heart attack is mainly associated with sudden cardiac arrest.

Once you suffer an attack, no matter how far off in the past it was, it is best to visit a doctor and conduct regular checks, just to affirm that your heart is fully functional.


3. Age

When old age catches up with us, we become predisposed to an array of health conditions. This is expected as our old bodies are not as well-functioning as youthful bodies are. Unfortunately, sudden cardiac arrest is even more serious when experienced by seniors, especially because the immune system naturally weakens with old age.

Seniors with heart problems are more predisposed to sudden cardiac arrest. But fortunately, the emergence of treatment options like the implantable cardioverter-defibrillator (ICD) therapy has accounted for increased mortality in the elderly.


Pediatric Sudden Cardiac Arrest

Although rare, sudden cardiac arrest also occurs in children. The sad reality is that it knows no age and can affect anyone. According to research, this condition claims the lives of over 2,000 children (aged 5-14 years) in the United States alone. As such, it is important to know the symptoms to look for in children.

These symptoms include;

  • Exercise-related discomfort or chest pain
  • Unexplained fatigue
  • Unexplained fainting or near fainting
  • Palpitations or a racing heart
  • Dizziness and lightheadedness

By looking out for the aforementioned symptoms in children, you can stop sudden cardiac arrest dead in its tracks. Remember, children are unaware of risk factors. Together with educating both parents and children about this condition, parents should feel obliged to make sure their children are feeling fine at all times.


Bottom Line

By understanding the risk factors that predispose us to sudden cardiac arrest, then we are able to have an excellent prognosis. These factors are meant to motivate us to take care of ourselves by doing everything that we can to keep sudden cardiac arrest at bay.

For a better understanding, a visit to your doctor’s office will do the trick. By consulting a professional, you will understand your current state of health and get good advice on everything else you need to do so that you can be as fit as a fiddle.