Abstract

Sudden cardiac death is one of the main causes of death in Western countries, being responsible for the majority of deaths caused by cardiovascular diseases. In Brazil, even with the high prevalence of this event, there is a lack of studies on this topic. Based on this, and because it is an event of varied pathophysiology, this study aimed to offer scientific support on the epidemiological profile of this pathology in Brazil. A cross-sectional, quantitative, epidemiological, time series study was carried out between 2006 and 2021, collecting data from the SUS Information System (TABNET-DATASUS). These data were tabulated in an Excel spreadsheet and presented in graphs and tables. 16,290 sudden cardiac death events were observed in Brazil during the period analyzed. Regarding Brazilian regions, sudden cardiac death events were distributed as follows: Southeast = 5,856; Northeast= 5,505; South= 2,502; North= 1,421; Midwest= 1,006. As for age groups, those aged 80 and over were the most affected with 34% of events. Regarding race: white= 7,761; brown= 6,798; black= 1,198; yellow= 91; indigenous = 62; not filled in = 380. Regarding gender: male: 9,299; female= 6,989. Given this profile, the aim is to provide subsidies for managers, regarding the implementation of public policies that promote improvements in the prevention of sudden cardiac death, so that a reduction in these events can be achieved. Furthermore, the aim is to spread the discussion on the topic and contribute to academic knowledge in research on Sudden Cardiac Death (SCD), so that there is greater understanding of the pathophysiology, epidemiology and particularities of the event, generating better management of SCD, through public policy actions aimed at prevention.

Keywords

cardiovascular diseases, sudden cardiac death, epidemiology