Sudden Unexpected Death in Epilepsy (SUDEP): How translational research on epilepsy is finding answers

Webinar registration and more information. This presentation will be recorded.

Webinar Flyer

Presented by Professor Terry O'Brien, Head of Central Clinical School and its Department of Medicine, Monash University

Epilepsy is a lifelong neurological condition estimated to affect over 65 million people worldwide, with approximately 150,000 Australians living with active epilepsy. It is not widely appreciated that Epilepsy is a potentially life threatening disorder, with a standardised mortality of >3 times that of the general population. The most common epilepsy-related cause of premature mortality is Sudden Unexpected Death in Epilepsy (SUDEP), which is the sudden, unexpected, non-traumatic and non-drowning death in a person with epilepsy, with or without evidence for a seizure in whom another cause is not found. It is estimated that 50-100 Australians each year die from SUDEP. SUDEP often occurs in young, otherwise healthy individuals, and with people with epilepsy having up to 40 times greater risk of dying suddenly compared with aged-matched controls without epilepsy.

The mechanisms underlying SUDEP have increasingly been the focus of our research, to understand how uncontrolled seizures result in a disturbance of cardiorespiratory function which can cause sudden death. Evidence-based intervention strategies to reduce the risk of SUDEP in people with epilepsy are now being developed and implemented, but more research is needed to prevent this devastating consequence for people with epilepsy, and their families.