Doctors may soon have a list of risk factors that could help them determine whether or not a person is likely to survive a first heart attack.
Wake Forest University researchers analyzed data from more than 18,000 people participating in cardiovascular studies to find out whether certain factors could determine whether they were at risk for sudden cardiac death, according to HealthNewsDigest.com.
They discovered that body mass index, race, ethnicity, heart rate, hypertension, and certain anomalistic electrocardiograph measurements all play roles in a person's likelihood of dying suddenly. While these risk factors are also found in those with coronary heart disease, the two conditions aren't always linked.
For example, blacks are less likely to have coronary heart disease, but are still more likely to die from a heart attack. Having either an extremely low or extremely high body mass index also predisposes a person to sudden death from a heart attack, though not necessarily to coronary heart disease.
The researchers will next try to come up with a "risk stratification score" to help identify people who may be more likely to die suddenly from a heart attack, so they can determine what sort of interventions might help them.