Risk of mortality among patients with epilepsy in southern Taiwan

Previous studies suggested a higher risk of all-cause mortality in patients with epilepsy than in the general population. However, information on the age- and sex-specific risk of mortality, as well as on the cause-specific risk of mortality has been sparse. This study aims to determine sex-, age-, and cause-specific risk of mortality among patients with epilepsy from southern Taiwan.

A total of 2180 patients treated in a tertiary hospital in southern Taiwan between 1989 and 2008 were compared to the general population of Taiwan for age-, sex- and cause-specific mortalities. The age-, sex-, and calendar year-standardized mortality ratios (SMRs) were calculated to estimate the relative risks of mortality associated with the epilepsy.

There are 266 (12.2%) deaths noted in the study period. The patients with epilepsy experienced a significantly increased SMR of all-cause mortality (SMR, 2.5; 95% confidence interval (CI), 2.2-2.8). The most significantly elevated age-specific SMR was 51.8 (95% CI, 6.2-187.2) and 8.6 (95% CI, 4.4-14.9) for male patients aged 0-9 years and female patients aged 20-29 years, respectively. Additionally, the most increased cause-specific SMR was noted for brain tumor (SMR, 21.4; 95% CI, 9.23-23.1), followed by accidental drowning (SMR, 8.8; 95% CI, 3.5-9.6) and falls (SMR, 5.7; 95% CI, 2.2-6.1).

Younger epilepsy should be the object of aggressive treatments. Advancement in treating brain tumors and prevention of accidental injuries may help improve the survival of patients with epilepsy.