Cardiac arrest most commonly occurs outside of the hospital, known as out-of-hospital cardiac arrest (OHCA), and is an important global health problem. Approximately 40% of cardiac arrest has no clear cause. Hereditary arrhythmias and cardiomyopathies factors contribute to cardiac arrest. The identification of genetic factors for cardiac arrest after its occurrence is of great value not only for the individual, but also for relatives who may be at risk for the disease in their family. In the United States, there are over 350 000 cases of OHCA and over 200 000 cases of in-hospital cardiac arrest (IHCA) each year, and in Western Europe, cardiac arrest accounts for 15%-20% of all adult natural deaths and 50% of all cardiovascular deaths. In order to reduce the burden caused by cardiac arrest within society, it is essential to further understand its etiological factors, such as incidence in different regions, risk factors, and populations at higher risk. For each individual, cardiac arrest is the result of a complex interaction of genetic and acquired factors. Understanding the complex interplay of pathogenic factors in cardiac arrest and the development of individualized prevention and treatment approaches requires the collection of clinical data from cardiac arrest populations and multimodal analysis in order to identify epidemiological features and risk factors for cardiac arrest. Recently, cardiac arrest-related data are being collected and integrated in Europe in different regions and populations. As a result of the commitment to the creation of large datasets of clinical information on cardiac arrest populations, the knowledge of the pathology of cardiac arrest pathogenesis as well as risk factors is steadily increasing. This article reviews the epidemiologic data of cardiac arrest in recent years and the associated risk factors, thus providing ideas for developing better strategies for the prevention and treatment of cardiac arrest.

Arrhythmia; Out-of-hospital cardiac arrest; Risk factor; Epidemiology