Risk Factors for Sudden Unexplained Death in Epilepsy

SUDEP stands for sudden unexplained death in epilepsy; a witnessed or unwitnessed, non-traumatic and non-drowning death occurring in benign circumstances, in a person with epilepsy with or without evidence of a seizure and excluding documented status epileptics (seizure duration of 130mins or longer, or seizures without recovery in between), in which a postmortem examination does not reveal a cause of death. SUDEP is not a cause of death so much as it is a descriptive term for a category of unexplained deaths in people with epilepsy or epilepsy-related conditions. Little is known about SUDEP and its mechanisms and risk factors.

One of the main objectives of this study is to investigate the role of various risk factors in the development of sudden unexplained death in patients with epilepsy, with a particular focus on the role of antiepileptic medications. In addition, we want to elucidate the pathophysiologic mechanisms leading to SUDEP.

Inclusion criteria

Sudep Group Subjects diagnosed with epilepsy whose cause of death was sudden and unexplained, and whose families are willing to participate, will be included in the study.

Control Group For the control group, we will include any patient diagnosed with epilepsy currently in the care of the NYU Comprehensive Epilepsy Center, willing and able to participate in the study.