Is Sudden Adult Death Syndrome real?

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Discussion Overview

The discussion revolves around the concept of Sudden Adult Death Syndrome (SADS), exploring its implications, fears associated with it, and related topics such as heart attacks and other low-probability dangers. Participants share personal anecdotes and statistics, expressing varying levels of concern and fear regarding SADS and other unexpected causes of death.

Discussion Character

  • Exploratory
  • Debate/contested
  • Conceptual clarification
  • Meta-discussion

Main Points Raised

  • Some participants express fear of SADS, noting its sudden and unexplained nature.
  • Others mention statistics suggesting that SADS accounts for a notable percentage of cardiac-related deaths, challenging the perception that it only affects infants.
  • A participant shares a personal story about a friend experiencing a sudden collapse, linking it to the broader topic of SADS.
  • Concerns are raised about the unpredictability of death from SADS, with some arguing that even healthy individuals are not immune.
  • Some participants discuss the relative safety of various activities, such as jumping out of an airplane compared to driving a car, to highlight the irrationality of fearing low-probability events.
  • A humorous exchange occurs regarding fears of bird droppings and lightning strikes, with some participants drawing parallels to the fear of SADS.
  • One participant shares a detailed account of how to potentially survive a heart attack when alone, although its relevance to SADS is unclear.
  • Several posts reflect on the absurdity of worrying about low-probability dangers while engaging in everyday activities like driving.

Areas of Agreement / Disagreement

Participants generally express a mix of fear and skepticism regarding SADS, with no clear consensus on its significance or the rationality of fearing it compared to other dangers. The discussion remains unresolved with multiple competing views on the topic.

Contextual Notes

Some statements rely on personal anecdotes and subjective interpretations of risk, which may not be universally applicable. The discussion includes various assumptions about health and safety that are not explicitly defined.

jimmy p
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Sudden Adult Death Syndrome. does this not scare the crap out of you?
 
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I just found out through googling that 1 in 20 cardiac-related deaths are caused by this! And I thought that it happened only to babies!
 
You heard about that 24 yr old Hungarian professional soccer player who passed away while playing soccer? The same thing happened to one of my friends when her coach just dropped down on the field a few months ago.

Although unrelated to cardiac arrest, I always carry aspirins around.. it is the first thing a hospital will give you when you arrive with blood cloths (I've heard). It's a small thing and it can save lifes.
 
i live in fear of S.A.D.S. almost as much as i fear birds pooing on me. But it is scary. You drop down dead for no apparent reason. It's frightening cos i don't think anything can be done to save you, even if you are healthy!
 
I was amazed when a doctor commented some years ago that every day people die and we have no idea why they died.

No fear though; we all have about a 1:36,500 chance of dying any given day.

Fear lightning when on a wired telephone. That's worth worrying about.
 
Last edited:
Interesting statistic I read the other day, it is much safer to jump out of an airplane (with a parachute that is) than to step into a car, with regard to the chance of dying. I believe the jumping out of an airplane was about 8 times safer.
 
My prev roommate once sent this to me:

>If everyone who gets this sends it to 10 people,
> you can bet that we'll save at least one life. Read
>this...It could save your life.
>
> Let's say it's 6.15 pm and you're driving home
> (alone of course) after an unusually hard day on the
>job. You're really tired, and frustrated.
>
> Suddenly you start experiencing severe pain in
>your chest that starts to radiate out into your arm
>and up into your jaw.
>
> You are only five miles from the hospital nearest
> your home. Unfortunately you don't know if you'll be
>able to make it that far. You have been trained in
>CPR, but the guy that taught the course did not tell
>you how to perform it on yourself.
>
> HOW TO SURVIVE A HEART ATTACK WHEN ALONE.
>
> Since many people are alone when they suffer a
> heart attack, without help,
>
> the person whose heart is beating improperly and
> who begins to feel faint,
>
> has only about 10 seconds left before losing
> conscious. However, these
>
> victims can help themselves by coughing
>repeatedly
> and very vigorously. A
>
> deep breath should be taken before each cough,
> the
>cough must be deep and
>
> prolonged, as when producing sputum from deep inside
>the chest. A breath
>
> and a cough must be repeated about every two seconds
>without let-up until
>
> help arrives, or until the heart is felt to be
> beating normally again.
>
> Deep breaths get oxygen into the lungs and
> coughing movements squeeze the
>
>heart and keep the blood circulating. The
>squeezing pressure on the heart
>
>also helps it regain normal rhythm. In this way,
>heart attack victims can
>
>get to a hospital. Tell as many other people as
>possible about this. It
>
>could save their lives !
>
>Don't ever think that you are not prone to heart
>attack as your age is
>
>less than 25 or 30. Nowadays due to the change
>in
>the life style, heart
>
> attack is found among people of all age groups.
 
Truly fearing such things as this SADS (Which I had never heard of!) or Nuclear war or lighting strikes Or a bird pooping on you or any other of the low probability ways of dying is a bit of a mystery to me. Especially if said worrying is done behind the wheel of a car.

If you worry about the low probability dangers, how in the world can you ever get in a car, or are you simply not able to let yourself comprehend just how dangerous that activity is?

Edit: for something I neglected the first try!
 
Last edited:
Integral,
I completely agree with your point. One caveat though is the issue of telephones and lightning. If an electrical storm is in your area the phone can be very dangerous. Typically, lightning kills more people each year than all other natural phenomena combined.

Aside from that singular issue, I will consider your thoughts while watching for any meteors that might hit my office.
 
  • #10
used missed out my fear of birds pooing on me... which I am scared of more than SADS.
 
  • #11
Ivan,
Good point, perhaps I am lucky to be alive! A few years back, when I was living PA, where they actually have lighting! I was talking with my mom (in Oregon) On the phone. There was a clap of thunder so loud and so close to me that mom heard it over the phone! At that point we decided to end the conversation!

Jimmy, read that post again!
 
  • #12
Oh heck, what's a hundred million volts in the ear between friends?

yes, the telephone wires can carry a lethal shock for many miles...right into your ear. It does a great job of wax removal though.
 
  • #13
Oh yeah, DUH silly me. I don't think i would die of bird poo, maybe embarrassment...
 
  • #14
Today a bird poo-ed on me!
So much for statistics..
 
  • #15
LOL!


What are the chances? and I mentioned it as well...must be an omen. beware the ides of March..dont worry, you have a month to prepare!

Man, that is freaky! Looks like I am going to stay in my house now.
 
  • #16
March?

The poo hit my hand one inch to the left and I would've been washing my hair right now..
 
  • #17
LOL that is really funny! You know, the Ides of March, Julius Caesar...the omen the soothsayer said...
 
  • #18
Originally posted by Monique
Interesting statistic I read the other day, it is much safer to jump out of an airplane (with a parachute that is) than to step into a car, with regard to the chance of dying. I believe the jumping out of an airplane was about 8 times safer.

ahh I am risking my life. That and the last time a bird pooped on my was several months ago, I am doomed. Bad omens. :frown:
 
  • #19
LOL better watch you back!
 
  • #20
Originally posted by Monique
March?

The poo hit my hand one inch to the left and I would've been washing my hair right now..

Just be grateful that cows don't fly.
 
  • #21
Originally posted by Ivan Seeking
Integral,
I completely agree with your point. One caveat though is the issue of telephones and lightning. If an electrical storm is in your area the phone can be very dangerous. Typically, lightning kills more people each year than all other natural phenomena combined.
I had that happen to me once, lightning struck in the yard and I was on a corded phone, I was lucky only to get a bad shock.

I wasn't pooped on by a bird but I was at an outdoor cafe and a bird pooped in my drink and I didn't notice until I took a sip and felt something very odd in my mouth. Yes, it was a bird turd, pigeon I believe.
 
  • #22
Birds are such RANK creatures! full of flu and stuff, and they don't care where they drop their load. It isn't just poo is it, don't birds only have one orifice?
 

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