Sudden Unexpected Natural Death in the Youth; an Iranian Single Center Investigation

Background: Sudden unexpected natural death (SUND) has not been studied in Iran. Herein we investigated its main causes in our country. Methods: Records of 80 cases registered to a single referral center were investigated to determine the distribution of sex, age, and etiology of death. Results: Fifty eight (72.5%), 6 (7.5%), 6 (7.5%) and 4 (5%) of our cases have died due to various types of heart diseases, cerebral events, pulmonary emboli and gastrointestinal bleeding (GIB), respectively. Moreover, men are victims of SUND more that women (83.7% vs.16.3%, respectively). Conclusion: Policies should be planned by the governments to prevent youth mortality in societies. These attempts should especially target ischemic heart disease.