Postmortem Evaluation of Adrenal and Other Endocrine Tumors in Patients With Sudden Death

The registry criteria, word for word

What the trial wants to find out

Sudden Cardiac Death is a leading cause of mortality and remains a major public health burden worldwide. Cardiac arrest due to coronary heart disease explains a large proportion of the cases, but if autopsy is not performed the exact underlying cause remains obscure in many adults who face sudden death outside heath care organizations. The investigators aim to find proof that primary aldosteronism is a risk factor for sudden death and to characterize the prevalence of adrenal pathology in sudden death of undetermined cause in a case-control study. In addition, the study aims to characterize the prevalence of other adrenal pathology i.e. silent adenomas, cortisol-producing adenomas and pheochromocytomas in sudden death. The investigators also seek evidence that other endocrine hormone overproduction-causing diseases are more prevalent in persons with sudden death compared with those experiencing traumatic or suicidal death sudden death.

The 2 groups in the trial

• Sudden death

  Unexpected witnessed death occurring within an hour of the onset of symptoms in a person with or without previously known cardiac disease without an extra-cardiac cause, or unexpected unwitnessed death without extra-cardiac cause occurring in the previous 24 hours

  Treatment: Adrenal aldosterone synthase (CYP11B2) staining, Adrenal cortisol synthase (CYP11B1) staining, and Histopathological analysis

• Control

  Death because of an exogenic reason for sudden death such as trauma or suicide as a control group i.e. non-disease-induced sudden death

  Treatment: Adrenal aldosterone synthase (CYP11B2) staining, Adrenal cortisol synthase (CYP11B1) staining, and Histopathological analysis