Study Finds Link Between Estrogen and Sudden Cardiac Death

A new study has found a link between a sex hormone called estrogen and sudden cardiac death in women.

Sudden cardiac arrest is when the heart stops beating suddenly, resulting in the brain and other vital organs losing their blood supply. The condition can lead to death if not treated within minutes, says Mayo Clinic.

The data for the study came from a large Oregon Sudden Unexpected Death Study. Researchers looked at the information available on people who had died due to SCD and those who had coronary heart disease. These people had had their blood plasma taken during a visit to a hospital. Researchers found that both the groups had similar levels of heart risk factors such as obesity and high blood pressure.

Data from the study showed that the levels of estrogen in women who had SCD were higher than those women who had coronary heart disease. However, researchers did not find a cause and effect relationship between estrogen and sudden cardiac death.

The study was presented at an annual meeting of the Heart Rhythm Society.

SCA accounts for some 350,000 cases of deaths in the U.S. each year, ahead of other killer diseases like lung cancer, breast cancer and AIDS, according to a news release.

"Sudden cardiac arrest claims one life every two minutes and the only way we can help decrease these numbers is to identify clinical predictors of SCA before it happens. Sex hormones are known to have significant effects on cardiovascular physiology, but this is the first study that shows a direct connection between hormone levels and SCD risk," said Sumeet S. Chugh, MD, Associate Director for Genomic Cardiology and Director of the Heart Rhythm Center at the Cedars Sinai Heart Institute in Los Angeles.