Subtle differences in lung function may help find people at risk for sudden cardiac death

According to a study presented at the International Conference of the European Respiratory Society, people with moderate but measurable deterioration in lung function are more likely to suffer from sudden cardiac death (SCD).

SCD is an unexpected death due to sudden heart failure, and many people with SCD have no warning signs. It is believed to account for around 20% of all deaths in Europe.

The researchers hope their findings will help identify those at risk for sickle cell disease and prevent future deaths.

The study was published by Dr Suneela Zaigham, clinical and cardiovascular epidemiology researcher at Lund University, Sweden. She says, “Sudden cardiac death is common, but we don’t know enough who is at risk in the general public. lung and heart health, so we wanted to study if there was a measurable difference Lung function may provide clues about the risks of sudden cardiac death.

Dr Zaigham and his colleagues studied a group of 28,584 middle-aged people who lived in Malmö, Sweden, and whose heart problems were unknown. Everyone took part in a vital capacity measurement test and were asked to breathe into the machine to measure lung function. Over the next 40 years, researchers recorded SCDs (deaths on the day of coronary events) or non-fatal coronary events (coronary events in which people survived for the first 24 hours).

They found that lung function was measurable. middle-aged (one standard deviation) The small amount of air that can be blown per second (equivalent to approximately 0.8 liters) suffers from SCD (a 23% increase in risk) rather than a non-fatal coronary event (8% increase) after life (risk) which was strongly associated.

Smoking is known to affect both lung and heart health, but risk patterns persist even in people who have never smoked.

Dr Zaigham said: “We believe this is the first study to directly compare the risk of sudden cardiac death with non-fatal coronary events and lung function in the general population.

“Our results suggest that examining the lungs of healthy middle-aged people may help find people at high risk for sudden cardiac death. People can take steps to potentially reduce the risk of this catastrophic event. “

A potential weakness of this study is that all tests and questionnaires were conducted at the start of the study, during which time many risk factors may have changed.

Mark Hamburg, who was not involved in the study, is the next president of the European Respiratory Society and professor of respiratory medicine at the University of Paris Sacre in France. He says, “This study suggests a link between lung health and sudden cardiac death. Even in people with moderately poor lung function, but who can stay within normal limits, only non-fatal coronary events. Also shows a high risk of being fatal. It’s fairly easy to measure, which means lung function can be used as part of a screening tool.

“More research is needed to understand the link between lung function and sudden cardiac death. death To determine if lung function tests can be used to prevent future deaths. “

The researchers want to continue their research by testing whether lung function can prevent sickle cell disease as part of their current cardiovascular risk assessment. They also wish to further study the association between lung function and SCD to see if a genetic susceptibility to heart abnormalities, fluctuations in blood pressure, or decreased lung function is involved.