Sudep

Sudden Unexpected Death in Epilepsy (SUDEP) is a terrible tragedy, often made worse by the unexplained nature of the loss. Although the exact cause of SUDEP is not known, researchers are making great strides to understand what may contribute to sudden death in people with epilepsy. It is most likely that SUDEP occurs for different reasons in different people. Often, but not always, there is evidence of a seizure, particularly a After a seizure, it can be quite common to see a flattening of the brain waves known as post-ictal generalized EEG suppression or PGES. This pattern has been identified in the EEG recordings of people who have died of SUDEP during EEG monitoring. Careful examination of the EEG records showed that in these cases, the EEG flattening did not recover and was followed by death. In one study, people who had died of SUDEP had longer periods of PGES after seizures than living patients with epilepsy, though another study could not confirm this finding. These findings suggest that SUDEP might result from a severe electrical shutdown of the brain, which leads to failure of heart and breathing functions. There are several ways in which changes in heart function may contribute to SUDEP. Seizures are known to affect heart rhythms. Usually a person's heart rate increases during a seizure. One study found that a greater degree of heart rate increase with a seizure was associated with a greater risk of SUDEP. Less often, the heart rate can slow down too much during ...

Background Sudden Unexpected Death in Epilepsy (SUDEP) is defined as sudden, unexpected, witnessed or unwitnessed, non-traumatic or non-drowning death of people with epilepsy, with or without evidence of an epileptic seizure, and for whom a postmortem examination reveals no other cause of death. SUDEP is the most common epilepsy-related cause of death, with around 1 to 2 deaths per 1000 patients per year. Frequent seizures, in particular convulsive seizures (termed generalised tonic clonic seizures (GTCS)) , male gender, young age of first seizure, long duration of epilepsy, and taking multiple antiepileptic drugs are all thought to increase the risk for SUDEP; exactly why SUDEP occurs is currently unknown, however, though it is thought to be related to heart failure, breathing difficulties, and brain damage following GTCS. With the correct antiepileptic treatment regimen around 70% of people with epilepsy can become free of all seizures. However, around one-third of people with epilepsy will continue to have seizures despite taking multiple antiepileptic drugs. Continuing seizures place patients at risk of SUDEP and can be associated with depression and lower quality of life. Strategies to try to prevent SUDEP include reducing the number of GTCS a patient has (by considering epilepsy surgery or making lifestyle changes), examining for heart and breathing problems during and following seizures, supervising patients at night or using safety pillows to prevent breathing diff...

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From the Department of Neurology (O.S. T.T.), Karolinska University Hospital; Department of Clinical Neuroscience (O.S. T.T.) and Institute of Environmental Medicine (T.A., S.C.), Karolinska Institutet; Center for Occupational and Environmental Medicine (T.A.), Stockholm County Council; and Department of Neuroscience (P.M.), University of Uppsala, Sweden. • • • Methods The study included 255 SUDEP cases (definite and probable) and 1,148 matched controls. Clinical information was obtained from medical records and the National Patient Register. The association between SUDEP and potential risk factors was assessed by odds ratios (ORs) and 95% confidence intervals (CIs) and interaction assessed by attributable proportion due to interaction (AP). Results Experiencing generalized tonic-clonic seizures (GTCS) during the preceding year was associated with a 27-fold increased risk (OR 26.81, 95% CI 14.86–48.38), whereas no excess risk was seen in those with exclusively non-GTCS seizures (OR 1.15, 95% CI 0.54–48.38). The presence of nocturnal GTCS during the last year of observation was associated with a 15-fold risk (OR 15.31, 95% CI 9.57–24.47). Living alone was associated with a 5-fold increased risk of SUDEP (OR 5.01, 95% CI 2.93–8.57) and interaction analysis showed that the combination of not sharing a bedroom and having GTCS conferred an OR of 67.10 (95% CI 29.66–151.88), with AP estimated at 0.69 (CI 0.53–0.85). Among comorbid diseases, a previous diagnosis of substance abus...

Falling or choking is a concern among people living with If you or a loved one has The short answer is yes, but while possible, death from epilepsy is also rare. When you hear of someone dying from a seizure, you might assume the person fell and hit their head. This can happen. SUDEP, however, isn’t caused by injury or drowning. It refers to a death that’s sudden and unexpected. Most, but not all, deaths occur during or right after a seizure. The exact cause of these deaths is unknown, yet researchers believe an extended pause in breathing leads to less oxygen in the blood and suffocation. Another theory is that the seizure causes a fatal disruption in heart rhythm, resulting in the heart stopping. Each year there are 1.16 incidents of sudden death for every 1,000 people with epilepsy, according to the Your brain contains countless nerve cells that create, send, and receive electrical impulses. Seizures occur when a sudden electrical disturbance in the brain causes these nerve cells to misfire. This can trigger: • uncontrollable jerking of the body • loss of consciousness • temporary confusion • loss of awareness Seizures vary in severity and length. Milder seizures may not cause convulsions and may only lasts 30 seconds. Other seizures, however, can cause a person’s entire body to shake rapidly and last as long as 2 to 5 minutes. A seizure can be a one-time event after a Although rare, it’s still important to know about risk factors for SUDEP. If you’re at risk, you can t...