SUDDEN UNEXPECTED DEATH IN EPILEPSY

Course overview

SUDDEN UNEXPECTED DEATH IN EPILEPSY (SUDEP), DEFINED AS “DEATH IN A PATIENT WITH EPILEPSY THAT IS NOT DUE TO TRAUMA, DROWNING, STATUS EPILEPTICUS, OR OTHER KNOWN CAUSES BUT FOR WHICH THERE IS OFTEN EVIDENCE OF AN ASSOCIATED SEIZURE,” REPRESENTS A LEADING CAUSE OF DEATH IN PATIENTS WITH EPILEPSY. THIS ACTIVITY REVIEWS THE DEFINITION, EPIDEMIOLOGY, PHYSIOLOGY, RISK FACTORS, AND TREATMENT OF SUDDEN UNEXPECTED DEATH IN EPILEPSY (SUDEP) AND HIGHLIGHTS THE ROLE OF THE INTERPROFESSIONAL TEAM IN STRATIFYING AND MITIGATING THE RISKS OF SUDEP IN PATIENTS WITH EPILEPSY.