ABSTRACT
Raw epidemiological data must be treated with some caution. All doctors should take the task of certifying the cause of death very seriously but, often it is a job usually delegated to junior staff with least experience. In England & Wales, doctors should only issue a death certificate if they are satisfied that they know the cause of death and that it is from natural causes. The World Health Organisation's definition of a sudden death is death within 24 hours of the onset of symptoms, but in forensic practice most sudden deaths occur within minutes or even seconds of the onset of symptoms. When a natural death is very rapid, the most common cause of irreversible cardiac arrest is a cardiovascular abnormality. While some degree of geographical variation is to be expected, the following lesions are the most significant as causes of sudden unexpected death.
