Sudden and Unexpected Deaths in Young Adults

An epidemiological study of sudden and unexpected death was conducted in Baltimore city during 1964 and 1965. Of the 322 nontraumatic deaths reviewed, 101 (31.4%) were sudden and unexpected. Sudden, unexpected deaths were more common in Negroes and men. Alcoholism and fatty liver was the leading cause of sudden, unexpected death, accounting for 27.7% of the sudden deaths, while 21.8% were due to arteriosclerotic heart disease.