Educate Epileptic Patients About the Risks of Sudden Death

The death of two epileptic teenagers in their sleep has raised questions about the extent of advice given to patients and their families about the risks of sudden death and ways to minimize the risks.

The two girls Erin and Christina , who died in their sleep were clearly unaware about the risk of SUDEP(sudden unexplained death in epilepsy), and their families were equally ignorant of such an occurrence.

Fits | Epilepsy | Convulsions - Causes Symptoms Diagnosis Treatment FAQs
Fits or convulsions or Epilepsy is characterized by recurrent, involuntary seizures and is described as a chronic neurological disorder

Many patients are not aware about the risk of SUDEP and the ways to reduce the risk which is getting the required amount of sleep, taking medication regularly, and not drinking too much alcohol.

The death of Erin in October 2006 and Christina in March 2009 could have been avoided if they were aware of SUDEP.

Neurocysticercosis / Cysticercosis of Brain / Pork Tapeworm - Causes Symptoms Diagnosis Treatment FAQs
Neurocysticercosis or Cysticercosis of brain is the most common cause of epilepsy and the most common parasitic infection of the brain. Neurocysticercosis is more common in the developing countries.

Source-Medindia

Mechanisms of Childhood Epilepsy Better Understood by A Gene Discovery in Truffle Dogs
Scientists have revealed that a new epilepsy gene, LGI2, has been found in the Lagotto Romagnolo dogs, known from their gift for truffle hunting.

New Finding Could Lead to Novel Drugs for Epilepsy
A discovery made by University of California, Riverside researchers in the lab could help drug manufacturers develop new antiepileptic drugs and explore novel strategies for treating