Sudden death in the southern region of Saudi Arabia: A retrospective study

Table 1 Direct causes of sudden death according to death certificates (2013-2016)

Direct causes of death	Gender				Total
	Male		Female
	n	%	n	%	n	%
CVS	60	16.9	43	12.2	103	29.2
CAD1 including MI2	50	14.2	27	7.7	77	21.8
Hypertension	7	2	3	0.9	10	2.8
Stroke	5	1.4	2	0.6	7	2
Cardiogenic shock	2	0.6	1	0.3	3	0.9
Life threatening arrhythmias	4	1.1	2	0.6	6	1.7
Respiratory disease	37	10.5	43	12.2	80	22.7
Pneumonia	17	4.8	21	6	38	10.8
Respiratory failure	1	0.3	3	0.9	4	1.1
Asthma	3	0.9	5	1.4	8	2.7
COPD	11	3.1	19	5.4	30	8.5
Infectious disease	18	5.1	25	7.1	43	12.2
Cancer	17	4.8	16	4.5	33	9.4
Hematological disease	15	4.3	7	2	22	6.2
Neuropsychiatric disease	9	2.6	4	1.1	13	3.7
Renal disease	8	2.3	5	1.4	13	3.7
DM	8	2.3	6	1.7	14	4
Liver disease	6	1.7	3	0.9	9	2.6
Congenital anomaly	4	1.1	6	1.7	10	2.8
Prematurity	4	1.1	1	0.3	5	1.4
Immunological disorders	3	0.9	5	1.4	8	2.3

¹Coronary artery diseases.

²Myocardial infarction.

CVS: Cardiovascular system; CAD: Coronary artery disease; MI: Myocardial infarction; COPD: Chronic obstructive pulmonary disease; DM: Diabetes mellitus.