PURPOSE OF REVIEW: This article will review the incidence and most common causes 
of sudden cardiac death (SCD) in healthy young adults, including competitive 
athletes, as well as members of the general population.
RECENT FINDINGS: SCD is rare but devastating in a young individual. The 
incidence of SCD in the young ranges from as low as 0.4 per 100,000 
patient-years to as high as 13.4 per 100,000 patient-years. SCD occurs in all 
populations, not only in athletes.
SUMMARY: Whether SCD is more common in athletes is the cause of continued debate 
stemming from conflicting data. Hypertrophic cardiomyopathy is the most common 
underlying cause of SCD in young athletes in most series; however, in 
nonathletic populations, the underlying causes of SCD are more varied.