$Unique_ID{BRK00694}
$Pretitle{}
$Title{Sudden Death During Sex}
$Subject{sex deaths death accident accidents lifestyle lifestyles Mort D'Amour
blood pressure heart rhythm ischemia aneurysm}
$Volume{O-23}
$Log{}

Copyright (c) 1991-92,1993   Tribune Media Services, Inc.


Sudden Death During Sex


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QUESTION:  I remember, years ago, reading rumors that some famous screen
actors had died suddenly during the sex act.  Nowadays, these sudden deaths
seem caused more by drugs than sex.  Do you believe that those old rumors
where true, and if so, what do you think the cause of death really was?

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ANSWER:  My memory goes back as far as yours does, but I don't ever remember
any specific medical conditions that were part of those reports and stories.
If causes were determined, they never appeared in the press, and I prefer it
that way, personally.  Back in 1965 a Dr. H.A. Heggveit wrote an article in
the American Heart Journal in which he coined an interesting name for these
occurrences.  He called them "Mort D'Amour", the "death from love".  In his
article he speculated that there could be four causes of such a death, a
sudden increase in blood pressure, a change in the beating of the heart from a
normal regular rhythm to an irregular one that failed to pump blood to the
body and brain, a failure of sufficient blood to reach the heart causing
ischemia (lack of oxygen), and finally a rupture of a blood vessel in the
brain due to an aneurysm or thinning of the vessel wall.  Certainly those
conditions could occur, and would explain why death struck at that particular
moment.  I suppose all those risk factors still exist, but hopefully, some of
the new advances in medical technology are now helping to prevent them from
occurring with any great frequency.  Tests, such as the stress test for
cardiac function and newer techniques in visualizing the arteries of the
heart and brain, may be effective in diagnosing these conditions so that
corrective treatment is started and these tragedies are averted.  There are
few things more private than a person's death, and when that moment arrives, I
would choose that it not be used to expose an individual's final moments to an
insensitive and perhaps unfeeling public.  So the lack of such reports lately
sits fairly well with me, and I hope it continues.

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The material contained here is "FOR INFORMATION ONLY" and should not replace
the counsel and advice of your personal physician.  Promptly consulting your
doctor is the best path to a quick and successful resolution of any medical
problem.