What is it about?
Heart disease is the main cause of death in Saudi Arabia, but little is known about where people die and what factors influence this. We studied more than 9,000 deaths from heart disease in Makkah City between 2018 and 2023. Most people died outside hospitals, especially older adults, non-Saudi residents, and those reported to have sudden cardiac death. The findings highlight challenges in recording accurate causes of death outside hospitals and point to the need for better emergency response systems and improved death reporting practices in Saudi Arabia.
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Why is it important?
This study is one of the first to examine where people with heart disease die in Saudi Arabia using detailed hospital register data. Understanding these patterns is vital because it reveals differences between Saudis and non-Saudis, and highlights the large number of deaths occurring outside hospitals. These findings provide evidence to improve emergency care systems and strengthen the accuracy of death reporting, which is essential for shaping health policies and reducing preventable cardiovascular deaths in Saudi Arabia.
Perspectives
Writing this article was an important step in my research journey to improve how deaths are recorded and understood in Saudi Arabia. Analyzing where people with heart disease die revealed not only clinical patterns but also broader system challenges that affect timely care and accurate reporting. I hope this work encourages further studies on out-of-hospital deaths and supports national efforts to strengthen emergency response and mortality data systems. Ultimately, my goal is to help ensure that every life and every death is properly counted and learned from.
Ahmed Alshehri
Umm Al-Qura University
Read the Original
This page is a summary of: Determinants of place of death among individuals with cardiovascular disease: A Saudi sub-national register study, PLOS One, October 2025, PLOS,
DOI: 10.1371/journal.pone.0335669.
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