New York: Researchers led by a prominent Indian-origin health expert have uncovered that women and men exhibit distinct warning signs before an impending sudden cardiac arrest, with shortness of breath being the most noticeable symptom for women, while men are more likely to experience chest pain. The study, conducted by the Smidt Heart Institute at Cedars-Sinai Medical Center in Los Angeles and spearheaded by sudden cardiac arrest specialist Sumeet Chugh, has divulged that approximately 50% of individuals encounter these warning indications prior to experiencing a cardiac arrest.
The team, headed by Chugh, ascertained that these warning signals differ between genders, as highlighted in their research published in the peer-reviewed journal Lancet Digital Health. Moreover, smaller subgroups of both women and men encountered other warning symptoms such as palpitations, seizure-like episodes, and flu-like sensations.
Chugh emphasized the potential benefits of utilizing these warning symptoms for effective triage, facilitating timely 911 calls, and enabling early intervention to prevent impending fatalities. He believes that their findings could lead to a novel approach to prevent sudden cardiac death.
The study was conducted using data from two ongoing community-based studies in the US, both initiated by Chugh. These studies have provided invaluable insights into predicting sudden cardiac arrest.
Chugh expressed gratitude to the collaborative effort involved in this research, spanning over two decades for the SUDS study and eight years for the PRESTO study. Both studies evaluated the prevalence of specific symptoms and symptom combinations before sudden cardiac arrest, contrasting these findings with control groups that sought emergency medical attention.
In their future work, the Smidt Heart Institute researchers plan to enhance their predictive models by incorporating additional factors, including clinical profiles and biometric measures, to further enhance the accuracy of sudden cardiac arrest prediction.
