Scientists at St George’s, University of London, have found that sudden death during sexual activity is not exclusive to middle-aged men. The research, recently published in the academic journal JAMA Cardiology, indicated that the average age for death during or within an hour after sex is 38 years. A notable aspect of the study was the proportion of deaths among women, which represented 35% of cases, a higher percentage than in previous research.
The research also revealed that deaths in younger individuals were generally not caused by heart attacks, as seen in older men. In more than half of the cases (53%), a sudden cardiac arrhythmia, known as sudden arrhythmic death syndrome, occurred. Aortic dissection was the second most common cause (12%). This problem happens when layers of the wall of the heart’s main artery, which distributes blood throughout the body, rupture and blood flows between them, causing swelling and rupture.
The other cases were linked to structural anomalies of the heart, such as cardiomyopathy (a disease of the heart muscle that makes it difficult to pump blood to the rest of the body) or a rare set of genetic diseases called channelopathies, a condition that can modify the electrical current in the heart muscle and alter its rhythm.
Despite these findings, death related to sexual activity is still an uncommon event. When investigating the sudden deaths of 6,847 people between January 1994 and August 2020, scientists found that only 17, equivalent to 0.2%, occurred during or within an hour after sex.
These data highlight the importance of young adults diagnosed with conditions such as arrhythmia or cardiomyopathy seeking guidance from their cardiologist about the risk associated with sexual activity.
Tags: ALERT study reveals sudden death sex occur among elderly understand
