Abstract
The role of health examinations in preventing sudden death was analyzed in 75 sudden death cases from information gathered by questionnaire from their families. Out of the 75 cases, 17 (22.7%) had received health examinations within 2 years before death, 19 cases (25.3%) more than 2 years prior to death, and 39 cases (52. 0%) did not receive health examinations. The percentage of sudden death cases who had been medically treated was significantly higher for those cases which had received health examination than in those which had not (88. 9% vs 64.1%, p<0.05). Those who had been medically treated had a higher prevalence of past history than those who had not (85.2% vs 55.6%, p<0.05). Therefore, assuming that medical treatment would have postponed death, health examination had an indirect effect in preventing sudden death by identifying and referring those with abnormal findings to medical facilities. Fourteen cases (18.7%) neither received health examinations nor medical treatment. Since nine of these had past histories, successful life saving intervention, or at least postponed death, may have been possible had they received medical treatment. Similarly the five cases reportedly having no past history, may have had any abnormalities identified by health examination and treated.
Three cases out of four who had received health examinations had no past history, and the ages of two of these three were in the early thirties. The existence of these caces makes apparent that there are limitations for health examinations in preventing sudden death.
