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Had A Long Flight. Went For Usual Walk. Came Back And Dropped Dead. Reason Behind Death?
my father dropped dead two days after a long flight from Greece. he went for his usual walk and came back and ten minutes later said he did not feel good and dropped to the ground. I think he was dead once he fell to the floor. how does someone just die like that? we did not do an autopsy ,but regret it now. He was 59 he was going to be 60 two weeks after his death. he went to a cardiologist a year before for certain heart palpatations he used to get. They did not see anything bad they told him his heart was strong. please can anyone give us any answers.
Tue, 30 Jul 2013
Hello and welcome to HCM,
There are many causes of sudden death.
The preceding history of long flight can have an association with sudden death.
However, the underlying disease is something else which is aggravated by some precipitating factor.
A long distance flight can be that precipitating factor.
Sudden death can occur in situations like myocardial infarction, stroke, pulmonary embolism, subdural hemorrhage, etc.
Was there any history of cardiovascular disease in past?
An autopsy can throw light on the cause of death.
A complete examination of the cardiovascular system could have shown the cause of death.
Thanks and take care
Dr Shailja P Wahal
There are many causes of sudden death.
The preceding history of long flight can have an association with sudden death.
However, the underlying disease is something else which is aggravated by some precipitating factor.
A long distance flight can be that precipitating factor.
Sudden death can occur in situations like myocardial infarction, stroke, pulmonary embolism, subdural hemorrhage, etc.
Was there any history of cardiovascular disease in past?
An autopsy can throw light on the cause of death.
A complete examination of the cardiovascular system could have shown the cause of death.
Thanks and take care
Dr Shailja P Wahal
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