|
Why an Audit of Epilepsy Deaths |
|||||||||||
|
People with epilepsy have a risk of premature death that is 2-3 times higher than the general population. Most premature deaths among people with epilepsy are directly related to the epilepsy itself. Every year in the UK about
1000 people die because of epilepsy, and most of these deaths are associated with
seizures. Sudden Unexpected Death in epilepsy or SUDEP is the principal cause of seizure-related
death in people with active epilepsy and has been estimated to account for about
500 deaths each year. Young adults are most at risk of SUDEP, and most deaths
occur at home. Although it is not entirely clear what causes SUDEP, the most
important risk factor is the occurrence of seizures- the more frequent the seizures,
the higher the risk. Clearly since most epilepsy deaths are related to seizures good seizure control is the key to minimising the risk of death. Although most people in the UK (up to 70%) have the potential to be seizure-free, five government reports since 1953 have highlighted serious deficiencies in service provision for epilepsy. Another problem is the inconsistency with which causes of death are reported- which may be due to a lack of awareness of epilepsy-related death amongst clinicians, coroners and pathologists |
 |
