Last Friday, Tim Russert, who was the Washington Bureau Chief for NBC News and the host of "Meet the Press," died suddenly. An autopsy later showed that Mr. Russert, who was 58 years old, had experienced sudden cardiac arrest, which is often fatal and is frequently referred to as sudden cardiac death, or sudden death.
In addition to publishing tributes, several media outlets have also published stories about the medical causes of Mr. Russert’s death. The Newsweek article called “What Happened to Russert: The science of sudden cardiac arrest” delves into the risk factors for sudden cardiac death. In the article “Tim Russert’s Death: Questions, Answers” at WebMD, three cardiologists answer questions about what may have happened to Russert. And in a story from ABC News, what has been dubbed “The Russert Effect” has some people asking their doctors more questions about heart health.
It is not clear whether Mr. Russert had diabetes—some news outlets report that he did, while others say he did not. He was, however, overweight and had coronary artery disease. To find out more about what you can do to keep your heart healthy, check out “Preventing Coronary Heart Disease” and the other articles in our Heart Health section.
This blog entry was written by Web Editor Tara Dairman.
