ArticleNeurology2017
Underestimation of sudden deaths among patients with seizures and epilepsy.
Article in Neurology, 2017. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 32 papers, 1 of them a synthesis that pooled it.
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Who cites it
32 citing papers in PubMed, 1 synthesis or guideline pooled it, 79 citations in OpenAlex.
- Cardiac structural and functional abnormalities in epilepsy: A systematic review and meta-analysis.Epilepsia open · 2023Pooled it
- Second-hit mosaic mutation in mTORC1 repressor DEPDC5 causes focal cortical dysplasia-associated epilepsy.The Journal of clinical investigation · 2018Trial
- A smart mattress for detecting and correcting the prone position: A feasibility study toward night-time SUDEP prevention.Epilepsia open · 2026Article
- Towards a Unified Research Agenda: International Consensus to Advance Understanding and Prevention of Sudden Unexpected Death in Epilepsy.Epilepsy currents · 2026Review
- Update on the similarities between SADS, SIDS, and SUDEP: Three sides of the same pyramid?International journal of legal medicine · 2026Review
- A companion to the development of common data elements for Sudden Unexpected Death in Epilepsy (SUDEP).Epilepsia open · 2025Article
- Enhancing sudden unexpected death in epilepsy (SUDEP) research through development of common data elements.Epilepsia open · 2025Article
- Mortality in older adults with epilepsy: An understudied entity.Epilepsia open · 2025Review
- Video Analyses of Sudden Unexplained Deaths in Toddlers.Neurology · 2024Article
- Knowledge, attitudes and practices of psychiatrists in India regarding sudden unexpected death in epilepsy (SUDEP) and seizure-related harm.Epilepsy & behavior reports · 2024Article
- Cardiac arrhythmia and epilepsy genetic variants in sudden unexpected death in epilepsy.Frontiers in neurology · 2024Article
- Review
- Communication about sudden unexpected death in epilepsy: Understanding the caregiver perspective.Annals of the Child Neurology Society · 2023Article
- Electroencephalography characteristics related to risk of sudden unexpected death in epilepsy in patients with Dravet syndrome.Frontiers in neurology · 2023Article
- Differentiation of Epileptic Brain Abnormalities among Neurological Patients at Taif Region Using MRI.International journal of clinical practice · 2023Article
- Autonomic dysfunction in epilepsy mouse models with implications for SUDEP research.Frontiers in neurology · 2022Review
- Mortality among People with Epilepsy: A Retrospective Nationwide Analysis from 2016 to 2019.International journal of environmental research and public health · 2021Article
- Observational
- Seizure-related deaths in children: The expanding spectrum.Epilepsia · 2021Article
- Temporal trends and autopsy findings of SUDEP based on medico-legal investigations in the United States.Neurology · 2020Article
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Authors and funding
6 authors at 1 institution.
Funding
Abstract
objectiveTo determine the definite and potential frequency of seizures and epilepsy as a cause of death (COD) and how often this goes unrecognized.
methodsProspective determination of seizures or epilepsy and final COD for individuals aged 18-90 years with out-of-hospital sudden cardiac deaths (SCDs) from the population-based San Francisco POST SCD Study. We compared prospective seizure or epilepsy diagnosis and final COD as adjudicated by a multidisciplinary committee (pathologists, electrophysiologists, and a vascular neurologist) vs retrospective adjudication by 2 epileptologists with expertise in seizure-related mortality.
resultsOf 541 SCDs identified during the 37-month study period (mean age 62.8 years, 69% men), 525 (97%) were autopsied; 39/525 (7.4%) had seizures or epilepsy (mean age: 58 years, range: 27-92; 67% men), comprising 17% of 231 nonarrhythmic sudden deaths. The multidisciplinary team identified 15 cases of epilepsy, 6 sudden unexpected deaths in epilepsy (SUDEPs), and no deaths related to acute symptomatic seizures. The epileptologists identified 25 cases of epilepsy and 8 definite SUDEPs, 10 possible SUDEPs, and 5 potential cases of acute symptomatic seizures as a COD.
conclusionsAmong the 25 patients identified with epilepsy by the epileptologists, they found definite or possible SUDEP in 72% (18/25) vs 24% (6/25) by the multidisciplinary group (6/15 cases they identified with epilepsy). The epileptologists identified acute symptomatic seizures as a potential COD in 5/14 patients with alcohol-related seizures. Epilepsy is underdiagnosed among decedents. Among patients with seizures and epilepsy who die suddenly, seizures and SUDEP often go unrecognized as a potential or definite COD.
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