Sudden unexpected death in epilepsy

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Sudden unexpected death in epilepsy
Specialty Neurology

Sudden unexpected death in epilepsy (SUDEP) is a fatal complication of epilepsy. [1] It is defined as the sudden and unexpected, non-traumatic and non-drowning death of a person with epilepsy, without a toxicological or anatomical cause of death detected during the post-mortem examination. [2] [3]

Contents

While the mechanisms underlying SUDEP are still poorly understood, it is possibly the most common cause of death as a result of complications from epilepsy, accounting for between 7.5 and 17% of all epilepsy-related deaths [2] and 50% of all deaths in refractory epilepsy. [4] [5] The causes of SUDEP seem to be multifactorial [2] and include respiratory, cardiac, and cerebral factors as well as the severity of epilepsy and seizures. [5] Proposed pathophysiological mechanisms include seizure-induced cardiac and respiratory arrests. [4]

Among epileptics, SUDEP occurs in about 1 in 1,000 adults and 1 in 4,500 children annually. [6] Rates of death as a result of prolonged seizures (status epilepticus) are not classified as SUDEP. [7]

Categories

The overarching term SUDEP can be subdivided into four different categories: Definite, Probably, Possible, and Unlikely. [8]

  1. Definite SUDEP: a non-traumatic and non-drowning death in an individual with epilepsy, without a cause of death after postmortem examination.
    • Definite SUDEP Plus: includes the presence of a concomitant condition other than epilepsy, where death may be due to the combined effects of both epilepsy and the other condition.
  2. Probably SUDEP: all the same criteria for Definite SUDEP are met, but no postmortem examination is performed.
  3. Possible SUDEP: insufficient information is available regarding the death, with no postmortem examination.
  4. Unlikely SUDEP: an alternate cause of death has been determined, ruling out the possibility of SUDEP being the cause.

Risk factors

Consistent risk factors include:

Genetic mutations have been identified that increase a person's risk for SUDEP (some are discussed below), but ultimately their genetic risk is determined by the function of multiple genes that is not yet well understood. Overlap is seen between these ion channel genes and the different sudden death disorders, including SUDEP, [12] SIDS, [13] sudden unexpected death (SUD), [14] and sudden unexplained death in childhood (SUDC). [15] Many of the genes are involved in long QT syndrome.

Mechanism

The mechanisms underlying SUDEP are not well understood but probably involve several pathophysiological mechanisms and circumstances. The most commonly involved are seizure-induced hypoventilation and cardiac arrhythmias, but different mechanisms may be involved in different individuals, and more than one mechanism may be involved in any one individual. [17]

Management

Currently, the most effective strategy to protect against SUDEP in childhood epilepsy is seizure control, but this approach is not completely effective and is particularly challenging in cases of intractable epilepsy. The lack of generally recognized clinical recommendations available are a reflection of the dearth of data on the effectiveness of any particular clinical strategy, [17] but based on present evidence, the following may be relevant:

Epidemiology

See also

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Epilepsy</span> Group of neurological disorders causing seizures

Epilepsy is a group of non-communicable neurological disorders characterized by recurrent epileptic seizures. An epileptic seizure is the clinical manifestation of an abnormal, excessive, and synchronized electrical discharge in the neurons. The occurrence of two or more unprovoked seizures defines epilepsy. The occurrence of just one seizure may warrant the definition in a more clinical usage where recurrence may be able to be prejudged. Epileptic seizures can vary from brief and nearly undetectable periods to long periods of vigorous shaking due to abnormal electrical activity in the brain. These episodes can result in physical injuries, either directly, such as broken bones, or through causing accidents. In epilepsy, seizures tend to recur and may have no detectable underlying cause. Isolated seizures that are provoked by a specific cause such as poisoning are not deemed to represent epilepsy. People with epilepsy may be treated differently in various areas of the world and experience varying degrees of social stigma due to the alarming nature of their symptoms.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Seizure</span> Period of symptoms due to excessive or synchronous neuronal brain activity

A seizure is a sudden change in behavior, movement, and/or consciousness due to abnormal electrical activity in the brain. Seizures can look different in different people. It can be uncontrolled shaking of the whole body or a person spacing out for a few seconds. Most seizures last less than two minutes. They are then followed by confusion/drowsiness before the person returns to normal. If a seizure lasts longer than 5 minutes, it is a medical emergency and needs immediate treatment.

A convulsion is a medical condition where the body muscles contract and relax rapidly and repeatedly, resulting in uncontrolled shaking. Because epileptic seizures typically include convulsions, the term convulsion is often used as a synonym for seizure. However, not all epileptic seizures result in convulsions, and not all convulsions are caused by epileptic seizures. Non-epileptic convulsions have no relation with epilepsy, and are caused by non-epileptic seizures.

Anticonvulsants are a diverse group of pharmacological agents used in the treatment of epileptic seizures. Anticonvulsants are also increasingly being used in the treatment of bipolar disorder and borderline personality disorder, since many seem to act as mood stabilizers, and for the treatment of neuropathic pain. Anticonvulsants suppress the excessive rapid firing of neurons during seizures. Anticonvulsants also prevent the spread of the seizure within the brain.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Tuberous sclerosis</span> Genetic condition causing non-cancerous tumours

Tuberous sclerosis complex (TSC) is a rare multisystem autosomal dominant genetic disease that causes non-cancerous tumours to grow in the brain and on other vital organs such as the kidneys, heart, liver, eyes, lungs and skin. A combination of symptoms may include seizures, intellectual disability, developmental delay, behavioral problems, skin abnormalities, lung disease, and kidney disease.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Lennox–Gastaut syndrome</span> Rare form of childhood-onset epilepsy

Lennox–Gastaut syndrome (LGS) is a complex, rare, and severe childhood-onset epilepsy syndrome. It is characterized by multiple and concurrent seizure types including tonic seizure, cognitive dysfunction, and slow spike waves on electroencephalogram (EEG), which are very abnormal. Typically, it presents in children aged 3–5 years and most of the time persists into adulthood with slight changes in the electroclinical phenotype. It has been associated with perinatal injuries, congenital infections, brain malformations, brain tumors, genetic disorders such as tuberous sclerosis and numerous gene mutations. Sometimes LGS is observed after infantile epileptic spasm syndrome. The prognosis for LGS is marked by a 5% mortality in childhood and persistent seizures into adulthood.

Dravet syndrome (DS), previously known as severe myoclonic epilepsy of infancy (SMEI), is an autosomal dominant genetic disorder which causes a catastrophic form of epilepsy, with prolonged seizures that are often triggered by hot temperatures or fever. It is very difficult to treat with anticonvulsant medications. It often begins before one year of age, with six months being the age that seizures, char­ac­ter­ized by prolonged convulsions and triggered by fever, usually begin.

Benign familial neonatal seizures (BFNS), also referred to as benign familial neonatal epilepsy (BFNE), is a rare autosomal dominant inherited form of seizures. This condition manifests in newborns as brief and frequent episodes of tonic-clonic seizures with asymptomatic periods in between. Characteristically, seizure activity spontaneously ends during infancy and does not affect childhood development. However, some studies have reported that a minority of children with BFNS consequently develop intellectual disability. Additionally, BFNS increases lifetime susceptibility to seizures as approximately 14% of those afflicted go on to develop epilepsy later in life. There are three known genetic causes of BFNE, two being the voltage-gated potassium channels KCNQ2 (BFNC1) and KCNQ3 (BFNC2) and the third being a chromosomal inversion (BFNC3). There is no obvious correlation between most of the known mutations and clinical variability seen in BFNE.

Idiopathic generalized epilepsy (IGE) is a group of epileptic disorders that are believed to have a strong underlying genetic basis. IGE is considered a subgroup of Genetic Generalized Epilepsy (GGE). Patients with an IGE subtype are typically otherwise normal and have no structural brain abnormalities. People also often have a family history of epilepsy and seem to have a genetically predisposed risk of seizures. IGE tends to manifest itself between early childhood and adolescence although it can be eventually diagnosed later. The genetic cause of some IGE types is known, though inheritance does not always follow a simple monogenic mechanism.

Juvenile myoclonic epilepsy (JME), also known as Janz syndrome or impulsive petit mal, is a form of hereditary, idiopathic generalized epilepsy, representing 5–10% of all epilepsy cases. Typically it first presents between the ages of 12 and 18 with myoclonic seizures. These events typically occur after awakening from sleep, during the evening or when sleep-deprived. JME is also characterized by generalized tonic–clonic seizures, and a minority of patients have absence seizures. It was first described by Théodore Herpin in 1857. Understanding of the genetics of JME has been rapidly evolving since the 1990s, and over 20 chromosomal loci and multiple genes have been identified. Given the genetic and clinical heterogeneity of JME some authors have suggested that it should be thought of as a spectrum disorder.

Geschwind syndrome, also known as Gastaut–Geschwind syndrome, is a group of behavioral phenomena evident in some people with temporal lobe epilepsy. It is named for one of the first individuals to categorize the symptoms, Norman Geschwind, who published prolifically on the topic from 1973 to 1984. There is controversy surrounding whether it is a true neuropsychiatric disorder. Temporal lobe epilepsy causes chronic, mild, interictal changes in personality, which slowly intensify over time. Geschwind syndrome includes five primary changes: hypergraphia, hyperreligiosity, atypical sexuality, circumstantiality, and intensified mental life. Not all symptoms must be present for a diagnosis. Only some people with epilepsy or temporal lobe epilepsy show features of Geschwind syndrome.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Rolandic epilepsy</span> Most common epilepsy syndrome in childhood, usually subsiding with age

Benign Rolandic epilepsy or self-limited epilepsy with centrotemporal spikes is the most common epilepsy syndrome in childhood. Most children will outgrow the syndrome, hence the label benign. The seizures, sometimes referred to as sylvian seizures, start around the central sulcus of the brain.

Sleep-related hypermotor epilepsy (SHE), previously known as nocturnal frontal lobe epilepsy, is a form of focal epilepsy characterized by seizures which arise during sleep. The seizures are most typically characterized by complex motor behaviors. It is a relatively uncommon form of epilepsy that constitutes approximately 9-13% of cases. This disorder is associated with cognitive impairment in at least half of patients as well as excessive daytime sleepiness due to poor sleep quality. This disorder is sometimes misdiagnosed as a non-epileptic sleep disorder. There are many potential causes of SHE including genetic, acquired injuries and structural abnormalities.

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