title: Are geomagnetic disturbances a risk factor for the sudden unexplained death of epileptic children?
abstract: The relationship between geomagnetic disturbances (with amplitudes above 50 nT) and the sudden unexplained death (SUD) of epileptic adults has been controversial up to now. In an autopsy-based cohort study (from 1964 to 1992) 15 epileptic children with SUD aged 1-14 years were compared to 63 epileptic children whose cause of death was known (KCD). The time of death as well as two international geomagnetic indices were assessed: Bartels' planetary 3-h signs (Kp) for the time of death and 2 h before, and the mean planetary daily amplitudes (Ap) on the day of death and on the 4 critical days before (and on the 4 post-mortem days as a control). Among the 15 SUD patients 9 died between 6 a.m. and 9 a.m. (universal time) whereas the KCD group showed an approximately uniform distribution of the time of death ( P = 0.026, Kolmogorov-Smirnov test). The Kp signs at death and 2 h before as well as the Ap indices at death and for the 4 pre-mortem days or after were not different in comparisons between the SUD and the KCD group ( P > 0.2, Mann-Whitney test). Furthermore the frequency of sudden storm commencement at death and for the 4 days before revealed no deviation of the SUD (26.7%) from the KCD group (23.8%) ( P > 0.2, Fisher test). The results do not support the hypothesis that geomagnetic disturbances are a risk factor for the sudden unexplained death of epileptic children.
authors.affiliation: Institut für Neuropathologie, Ludwig-Maximilians-Universität München, Thalkirchner Strasse 36, D-80337 Münich, Germany.
authors.forename: Ralf
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: Schnabel
authors.forename: Theodor W
authors.initials: TW
authors.lastname: May
authors.forename: Martin
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Beblo
authors.forename: Ludwig F
authors.initials: LF
authors.lastname: Gruhn
mesh_terms: D001344:Autopsy; D002423:Cause of Death; D002648:Child; D002675:Child, Preschool; D015331:Cohort Studies; D003645:Death, Sudden / Q000209:etiology*; D004827:Epilepsy / Q000150:complications / Q000473:pathology*; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D008280:Magnetics / Q000009:adverse effects*; D008297:Male; D012307:Risk Factors