Open AccessSudden Unexplained Death in Epilepsy
Author(s) -
Sperling Michael R.
Publication year - 2001
Publication title -
epilepsy currents
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 0.415
H-Index - 22
eISSN - 1535-7511
pISSN - 1535-7597
DOI - 10.1046/j.1535-7597.2001.00012.x
Subject(s) - medicine , epilepsy , sudden death , pediatrics , disease , intensive care medicine , psychiatry
Sudden unexplained death in epilepsy (SUDEP) accounts for 7–17% of deaths among people with epilepsy. Both cardiac and pulmonary derangement have been postulated as proximate causes. Patients with uncontrolled seizures are at greatest risk for SUDEP, and experiencing tonic‐clonic seizures, taking multiple antiepileptic drugs and having coexisting neurologic disease further increase the risk.