Work

Trends in pediatric sudden cardiac death-related mortality in the United States from 1999 to 2020: a nationwide CDC WONDER analysis

Year: 2026

Type: article

Abstract: Introduction Sudden cardiac death (SCD) in children is rare but devastating, often affecting previously healthy children. Unlike adults, pediatric SCD results from a wide spectrum of uncommon and heterogeneous conditions. Despite recent advancements in understanding and prevention strategies, national data on long-term mortality trends remain limited. Material and methods We analyzed death certificate data from the CDC WONDER database from 1999 to 2020 for SCD-related mortality in individuals aged 0 to 14 years. Age-adjusted mortality rates (AAMRs) per 100,000, with 95% confidence intervals (CIs) and annual percentage changes (APCs) with 95% CIs, were calculated, stratified by year, sex, race, state, urbanization, and census region. Results From 1999 until 2020, 30,675 pediatric SCD-related deaths occurred. The AAMR declined from 2.8 per 100,000 population in 1999 to 2.5 (APC = –6.0%, 95% CI: –10.8 to –0.9) in 2001 and further to 2.0 in 2020 (APC = –1.0%, 95% CI: –1.2 to –0.8). AAMRs were consistently higher in males than in females (1999: 3.2 vs. 2.4; 2020: 2.1 vs. 2.0). When stratified by race, non-Hispanic (NH) Black children had the highest AAMRs. Rates declined in all U.S. regions, with the highest rates observed in the Northeast (3.5 to 1.9) and the lowest in the Midwest (1.7 to 1.2). State-level rate disparities were marked, ranging from 4.9 in Mississippi to as low as 1.1 in Maine, Maryland, and Wisconsin. Conclusions Despite overall declines in SCD-related mortality, significant disparities persist across sex, race, region, and urbanization.

Source: Archives of Medical Science - Atherosclerotic Diseases

DOI: 10.5114/amsad/226848