Overview
- Researchers identified 6,862 sudden cardiac deaths among 54,028 deaths in Denmark in 2010 using death certificates, hospital summaries and autopsy reports.
- Compared with people without diabetes, sudden cardiac death risk was 3.7 times higher in type 1 diabetes and 6.5 times higher in type 2 diabetes.
- Adults under 50 with diabetes faced about a sevenfold higher risk, with incidence highest at ages 30–40 for type 1 and 40–50 for type 2 in the reported data.
- Average life expectancy was shorter by 14.2 years in type 1 diabetes and 7.9 years in type 2, with sudden cardiac death accounting for 3.4 and 2.7 years of those losses, respectively.
- The authors note the observational design and 2010 baseline preclude causal claims or assessment of newer therapies, and they highlight prevention priorities including identifying high‑risk subgroups, implantable defibrillators and wearable detection.