[Kim Jaeho's Life Story]<228> The Risk of Becoming a Victim of Sudden Death

We sometimes hear the heartbreaking news that a person who appeared healthy suddenly passed away from a heart attack. Just a few hours earlier, there were no noticeable symptoms or warning signs, yet suddenly they died. This is commonly referred to as sudden death. There are quite a few people around us who die from such sudden death, but who are the people at high risk of sudden death?

There are various causes of sudden death, but most share the commonality of the heart stopping its beat, and when people say someone died of a heart attack, it often refers to this kind of sudden death. Since many people who die from heart disease die suddenly, it is clear that those with unhealthy blood vessels are at high risk of sudden death. So, what are good ways to prevent sudden death?

Heart disease, including heart attacks, ranks second after cancer

in causes of death in South Korea, with heart disease deaths accounting for about 10.5% of all deaths, roughly one in ten people. People often broadly think of any state where the heart stops or does not beat normally as a heart attack, but from a treatment perspective, it is useful to distinguish between cardiac arrest, where the heart stops beating, and a narrower definition of heart attack, where the heart’s function weakens but some heart muscle remains alive.

The narrow definition of a heart attack occurs when part of the three coronary arteries that supply nutrients and oxygen to the heart becomes blocked. The heart muscle’s beating weakens, and insufficient nutrients and oxygen are supplied, causing symptoms such as chest pain, but consciousness is not immediately lost, nor does breathing stop. Since the supply of nutrients and oxygen to the heart decreases and heart muscle cells begin to die, rapid initial response is extremely important.

If treated quickly, most people do not die from such heart attacks. Usually, if treatment is received within 3 to 4 hours, most heart muscle is not damaged, but after 5 to 6 hours, the amount of surviving heart muscle rapidly decreases, and beyond twelve hours, recovery of heart function becomes difficult. In the United States, where many die from heart disease, the survival rate of patients receiving hospital treatment for their first heart attack is known to be over 90%.

Unlike a heart attack, cardiac arrest refers to the heart stopping due to electrical signal disturbances, causing the heart to stop beating. Since no blood circulates, oxygen is not supplied to the brain, resulting in unconsciousness, no response, and cessation of breathing. In cardiac arrest, all cells are deprived of nutrients and oxygen, and cells with high energy consumption die quickly, so without rapid emergency treatment, most do not survive.

For this reason, survival rates for cardiac arrest are much lower than for heart attacks. In the U.S., about 600,000 cardiac arrests occur annually, with less than 6% survival among the 400,000 occurring outside hospitals, and about 24% survival among the 200,000 occurring inside hospitals. Even in heart attack cases, where survival rates are much higher than cardiac arrest, if not treated quickly, it can progress to cardiac arrest and sudden death.

The main cause of both heart attacks and cardiac arrest is advanced atherosclerosis causing severe blood vessel damage. Often, there are no special symptoms until vascular disease has progressed significantly, exposing individuals suddenly to the risk of sudden death. Therefore, maintaining vascular health through a healthy lifestyle, including good dietary habits that create the best environment for the body’s vital organs, is very important. But what should one do if such risks arise?

There are short-term and mid-to-long-term measures to protect precious lives in emergencies. The short-term measure for heart attacks and cardiac arrest is to receive emergency treatment as quickly as possible to minimize heart muscle damage. Especially if the patient loses consciousness due to cardiac arrest, starting cardiopulmonary resuscitation (CPR) while waiting for emergency medical services is very helpful, and using an automated external defibrillator (AED) is even better.

If emergency treatment is received and recovery from heart attack or cardiac arrest is fortunate, mid-to-long-term measures must be implemented to prevent the risk of sudden death from returning. Even after surviving emergency treatment, the causes of heart attack and cardiac arrest remain, so the risk of recurrence is very high. Studies show that among heart attack survivors aged 45 and older, 18% of men and 23% of women died within one year, and 36% of men and 47% of women died within five years.

Therefore, survivors of heart attacks and cardiac arrest must make much greater efforts than others to improve the poor vascular condition that caused the event to reduce the risk of recurrence. They should adopt a life-supporting diet that includes a variety of fruits, vegetables, and whole grains to supply necessary nutrients properly, minimize food waste and air pollution, and practice Newstart (refer to Life Story Part 6).

To reduce food waste, intake of sugar, saturated fats, trans fats, salt, and alcohol should be reduced. To reduce air pollution, quitting smoking, which causes the biggest problems, is essential, as well as minimizing exposure to air pollutants such as fine dust, ozone, nitrogen dioxide, sulfur dioxide, carbon monoxide, volatile organic compounds, bacteria, and mold.

Kim Jae-ho, Independent Researcher

This content was produced with the assistance of AI translation services.