'Sex Kills?' UK Scientists Say Sex Unlikely to Be Fatal for People With Heart Conditions

While research is far from comprehensive, based on data obtained from a single country, researchers nonetheless claim that the data is indicative of a general danger that sex poses (or rather does not pose) to those with heart problems.

People with heart conditions often deprive themselves of sex out of fear of suffering a sudden cardiac arrest, but recent UK research by St George's University of London may put those concerns to rest. Researchers studied the medical history of nearly 7,000 Brits, who died from sudden cardiac arrest over a period between 1994 and 2020 and they found that sexual activity was responsible for just 0.2% of those deaths.

An estimated 17 people are thought to have died during, or up to an hour after, sex, out of the 7,000 cases. The rest died mostly from various heart conditions. Two thirds of the diseased were men, with the primary cause of death as cardiomyopathy and heart rhythm disorders. Over half of the dead had no diagnosed heart condition.

The British researchers also noted that many heart pathologies in the study could be explained by stress, smoking, drug consumption and other factors. When it comes to sex, however, the research suggests that people not deprive themselves of pleasure out of fear for their heart.

"We believe these findings provide some reassurance that engaging in sexual activity is relatively safe in patients with a cardiac condition, especially in younger (aged <50 years) individuals", the researchers' article, published in JAMA Cardiology journal, said.

The researchers noted that they cannot know how many Brits suffered from a cardiac arrest during sex and survived. This, in theory, makes the potential risk for cardiac arrest during sex greater, but not high enough to justify denying sex.