Getting It On? Carry On: Sudden Cardiac Arrest Risk Low With Sexual Activity

ANAHEIM, CA—While sexual activity can trigger sudden cardiac arrest, the likelihood of this happening is low, according to a population analysis presented in a poster session today at the American Heart Association (AHA) 2017 Scientific Sessions.

“These findings have implications for cardiac patients, as well as healthcare professionals advising them on the safety of engaging in sexual activity,” write Aapo Aro, MD, PhD (Helsinki University Hospital, Finland), and colleagues in a research letter simultaneously published in the Journal of the American College of Cardiology.

The researchers identified 4,557 sudden cardiac arrest events in adults from the Oregon Sudden Unexpected Death Study between 2002 and 2015. Of these, 34 (0.7%) were linked to sexual activity—18 occurred during sexual activity, 15 within minutes after, and one with undetermined timing. The vast majority (94%) of the patients who experienced cardiac arrest during or after sexual activity were men. Aro and colleagues estimated that sexual activity was responsible for 1% of the overall cardiac arrest burden in men and 0.1% in women.

Individuals who experienced events linked to sexual activity were generally younger and more likely to be African-American, the data show. More than one-quarter had a history of CAD or had symptomatic heart failure, and the majority were taking cardiovascular medications.

 “Although sexual activity involves exertion, the mechanisms triggering [sudden cardiac arrest] may be unique, and in some situations may also involve medications, stimulants, and alcohol use,” Aro and colleagues say. Still, the absolute risk of sex-related sudden cardiac arrest “appears to be extremely low.”

One additional observation should serve as a reminder: in the current series, only one-third of the patients with cardiac arrest during or after sexual activity received CPR. As such, the findings “highlight the importance of continued efforts to educate the public on the importance of bystander CPR for [sudden cardiac arrest], irrespective of the circumstance,” the authors conclude.