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A review of the causes and risk factors for sudden unexpected death in the young

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Abstract

Sudden unexpected death in the young (SUDY) is a tragic event resulting in the fatality of seemingly healthy individuals between the ages of one and 40 years. Whilst studies have been performed on sudden unexpected death in infants, children, and adults respectively, little is known about trends in risk factors and causes of death of SUDY cases. Understanding the factors surrounding these deaths could lead to targeted interventions for at-risk individuals. Hence, a systematic approach to investigate the reported possible causes of SUDY was employed using three major databases and Primo, wherein 67 relevant articles were identified and 2 additional guidelines were read. Sudden unexpected death in epilepsy and sudden cardiac events were well-established causes of death with risk factors such as male predominance, substance use and a familial history identified. It was acknowledged that while the cause of death is established following post-mortem examination in many cases, some remain non-specific or undetermined. Considering the genetic etiology, these cases would be ideal candidates for molecular autopsies in the future. Thus, this review emphasized the significance of acquiring the relevant information to aid in resolving cause of death of these SUDY cases and subsequently highlighted the potential for further studies on risk factors and the value of molecular autopsies.

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Postgraduate Publication Incentive, Faculty of Health Sciences, University of Cape Town. The first author received a scholarship from the National Research Foundation of South Africa (Grant number: 122641). The opinions, findings and conclusions or recommendations expressed herein our own, and not representative of the National Research Foundation.

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  1. Division of Forensic Medicine and Toxicology, Department of Pathology, Faculty of Health Sciences, University of Cape Town, Cape Town, South Africa

    Yuvika Vandayar & Laura Jane Heathfield

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Yuvika Vandayar: Methodology, Funding acquisition, Writing—original draft. Laura Jane Heathfield: Conceptualization, Methodology, Visualization, Supervision, Writing – reviewing and editing, Funding acquisition, Project administration.

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Vandayar, Y., Heathfield, L.J. A review of the causes and risk factors for sudden unexpected death in the young. Forensic Sci Med Pathol 18, 186–196 (2022). https://doi.org/10.1007/s12024-021-00444-3

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