Risk Factors for Sudden Cardiac Arrest Among Hispanic or Latino Adults in Southern California: Ventura PRESTO and HCHS/SOL

BACKGROUND: Out-of-hospital sudden cardiac arrest (SCA) is a leading cause of mortality, making prevention of SCA a public health priority. No studies have evaluated predictors of SCA risk among Hispanic or Latino individuals in the United States. METHODS AND RESULTS: In this case-control study, adult SCA cases ages 18-85 (n=1,468) were ascertained in the ongoing Ventura Prediction of Sudden Death in Multi-Ethnic Communities (PRESTO) study (2015-2021) in Ventura County, California. Control subjects were selected from 3033 Hispanic or Latino participants who completed Visit 2 examinations (2014–2017) at the San Diego site of the HCHS/SOL (Hispanic Community Health Survey/Study of Latinos). We used logistic regression to evaluate the association of clinical factors with SCA. Among Hispanic or Latino SCA cases (n=295) and frequency-matched HCHS/SOL controls (n=590) (70.2% men with mean age 63.4 and 61.2 years, respectively), the following clinical variables were associated with SCA in models adjusted for age, sex, and other clinical variables: chronic kidney disease (odds ratio [OR], 7.3 [95% CI, 3.8–14.3]), heavy drinking (OR, 4.5 [95% CI, 2.3–9.0]), stroke (OR, 3.1 [95% CI, 1.2–8.0]), atrial fibrillation (OR, 3.7 [95% CI, 1.7–7.9]), coronary artery disease (OR, 2.9 [95% CI, 1.5–5.9]), heart failure (OR, 2.5 [95% CI, 1.2–5.1]), and diabetes (OR, 1.5 [95% CI, 1.0–2.3]). CONCLUSIONS: In this first population-based study, to our knowledge, of SCA risk predictors among Hispanic or Latino adults, chronic kidney disease was the strongest risk factor for SCA, and established cardiovascular disease was also important. Early identification and management of chronic kidney disease may reduce SCA risk among Hispanic or Latino individuals, in addition to prevention and treatment of cardiovascular disease.