title: Mortality in children with severe epilepsy: 10 years of follow-up.
abstract: Epilepsy is the main neurological condition in children and adolescents. Unfortunately patients with medical refractory epilepsy are more susceptible for clinical complications and death. We report a prospectively evaluated cohort of children followed for approximately 10 years. Fifty-three of 1012 patients died. Forty-two patients died due to epilepsy or its clinical complications and the main causes of death were pneumonia (in 16 cases), sepsis (in 9 patients), status epilepticus (in 8 patients). In 11 patients cause of death was sudden unexpected death in epilepsy (SUDEP). Mental retardation was significantly more frequent in patients who did not die from SUDEP. SUDEP may be a significant condition associated with mortality in children and adolescents with epilepsy.
authors: Departamento de Neurociências e Ciências do Comportamento, Faculdade de Medicina de Ribeirão Preto, Universidade de São Paulo, Ribeirão Preto, SP, Brazil. v.c.terra@rnp.fmrp.usp.br
authors: Vera C
authors: VC
authors: Terra
authors: Fulvio A
authors: FA
authors: Scorza
authors: Ricardo M
authors: RM
authors: Arida
authors: Regina M F
authors: RM
authors: Fernandes
authors: Lauro
authors: L
authors: Wichert-Ana
authors: Helio R
authors: HR
authors: Machado
authors: Américo C
authors: AC
authors: Sakamoto
mesh_terms: D000293:Adolescent; D001938:Brazil / Q000453:epidemiology; D002648:Child; D002675:Child, Preschool; D003645:Death, Sudden / Q000453:epidemiology* / Q000209:etiology; D004812:Epidemiologic Methods; D004827:Epilepsy / Q000401:mortality*; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D007223:Infant; D007231:Infant, Newborn; D008297:Male