Sudden Unexpected Death in Epilepsy: addressing the challenges

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Date
2014-10-10
Authors
Smithson, W. Henry
Colwell, Brigitte
Hanna, Jane
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Volume Title
Publisher
Springer Nature Switzerland AG
Published Version
10.1007/s11910-014-0502-4
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Abstract
Epilepsy is associated with a higher rate of premature death than the general population and the commonest cause of epilepsy mortality is sudden unexpected death in epilepsy (SUDEP). It is difficult to quantify because of the variable reporting of this cause of death. Death occurs due to autonomic deregulation of cardio-respiratory pathways as a result of seizures. Measures to reduce cardio-respiratory dysfunction are discussed together with the importance of seizure control in preventing SUDEP. The role of seizure detection devices, anti-epileptic drugs and the importance of providing information about SUDEP to people with epilepsy are highlighted. There is increasing interest in SUDEP and some current initiatives are discussed.
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Keywords
SUDEP , Epilepsy death , Prevention , Incidence , Mechanisms
Citation
Smithson, W. H., Colwell, B. and Hanna, J. (2014) 'Sudden Unexpected Death in Epilepsy: addressing the challenges', Current Neurology and Neuroscience Reports, 14, 502 (6pp). doi:10.1007/s11910-014-0502-4
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https://hdl.handle.net/10468/6982
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General Practice - Journal Articles
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© 2014, the Authors. This article is distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution License which permits any use, distribution, and reproduction in any medium, provided the original author(s) and the source are credited.