Sudden Unexplained Death in Epilepsy.
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.
Sperling
Michael R.
MR
Department of Neurology, Thomas Jefferson University, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania.