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Risk and causes of death in children with a seizure disorder

Victoria Nesbitt1, Martin Kirkpatrick, Gale Pearson

  • 1Institute of Ageing and Health, Newcastle University, Newcastle upon Tyne, UK.

Developmental Medicine and Child Neurology
|April 17, 2012
PubMed

Insights

Childhood epilepsy increases death risk, primarily in those with neurodevelopmental disorders. The risk of sudden unexplained death in children with idiopathic epilepsy is very low.

Area of Science:

  • Pediatric Neurology
  • Epileptology
  • Public Health

Background:

  • Epilepsy is a common childhood neurological disorder.
  • Understanding mortality patterns in pediatric epilepsy is crucial for risk assessment and management.
  • Previous studies have varied in scope and population.

Purpose of the Study:

  • To determine the incidence and causes of death in children with epilepsy.
  • To evaluate the role of seizure disorders in pediatric mortality.
  • To compare sudden unexplained death rates in children with and without epilepsy.

Main Methods:

  • Retrospective analysis of clinical and death certificate data.
  • Inclusion of two UK population-based samples of children (1 month to 18 years) with epilepsy.
  • Largest reported series of pediatric epilepsy deaths (n=265).

Main Results:

  • Seizure disorders were not the primary cause of death in approximately two-thirds of cases.
  • Unexplained death rates ranged from 7.3% to 9.7%, exclusively in children with symptomatic epilepsy.
  • No unexplained deaths occurred in children with idiopathic epilepsy.
  • Acute symptomatic seizures were implicated in the final illness of 4% of deaths.

Conclusions:

  • Childhood epilepsy is linked to higher mortality, mainly in those with co-occurring neurodevelopmental disorders.
  • The risk of unexpected, unexplained death in pediatric idiopathic epilepsy is minimal.
  • Risk stratification should consider underlying epilepsy etiology and associated conditions.
Abstract

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