What can cause sudden cardiac arrest in young people?

The recent death from myocardial infarction of Karitina Goyanes, daughter Kari Lapic And Carlos Goyaneswho died of heart failure just 19 days before his daughter, not only shocked the social media but also drew attention to a disease that can have a large hereditary burden.

He myocardial infarction (MI) is, along with angina, a coronary heart disease that occurs when the heart is no longer receiving the blood it needs to function properly. This disease is caused by atherosclerosis of the coronary arteries responsible for supplying blood to the heart muscle, which, narrowed by atherosclerosis, prevent blood from flowing properly, potentially causing a heart attack or angina.

Doctor Petra Sanz MayordomoHead of Cardiology at the Rey Juan Carlos de Móstoles Hospital, explains in an article published by the Spanish Heart Foundation that “atherosclerosis accelerates with age and in patients who have risk factors, such as those who have diabetes, hypertension, smoke, are obese or have high cholesterol. For its part, Cardioalianza, an association that brings together 16 organizations of patients with cardiovascular diseases (CVD) in Spain, explains that anyone can suffer a myocardial infarction, but not everyone has the same risk. What causes sudden cardiac arrest in young people?

Causes of cardiac arrest in young people

Representatives from the American Academy of Pediatrics’ Section of Cardiology and Cardiac Surgery explain the leading causes of sudden cardiac arrest in adolescents and young adults with no known heart problems:

This usually inherited and often undiagnosed condition is the most common cardiovascular cause of sudden cardiac arrest in young adults. The muscle cells in the lower chambers of the heart, called ventricles, become thicker. This can cause an abnormal heart rhythm, especially during exercise.

Defects in the way the coronary arteries connect to the heart can cause a reduction in blood supply to the heart muscle during exercise and lead to cardiac arrest. Young people with coronary artery abnormalities are often born with them but do not notice any symptoms until they are older.

In people with normally structured hearts, sudden cardiac arrest can sometimes be caused by undiagnosed genetic disorders that affect the heart’s electrical impulses.

In this inherited disorder, part of the heart muscle tissue is replaced by scar tissue.

Myocarditis, which is usually caused by an infection, is an inflammation of the walls of the heart. Most cases of myocarditis in children occur when a virus, such as an enterovirus, enters the heart. It can also be caused by bacterial, fungal or parasitic infections and allergic reactions to certain medications.

This connective tissue disorder can cause aortic ruptures. People born with the condition, who are usually tall and have long arms, may not know they have the condition.

Cardiac shock is caused by a blow to the chest directly above the heart at certain points in the cardiac cycle. It can occur in children with perfectly normal hearts. Concussions are most common in sports with projectile objects, such as baseball, hockey, and lacrosse.