Risk Factors of SUDEP

Numerous studies over the past decade have shown without any doubt that there is a higher mortality risk in patients with epilepsy than in the general population. The cause of death may be related to the cause of epilepsy, being directly related to a seizure (status epilepticus or sudden unexpected death in epilepsy; SUDEP), a consequence of seizures (accidents, etc), other associated pathologies (cancer, cardiovascular disease, ischemic heart disease, pneumonia, etc) or an associated disorder (depression or suicide). A SUDEP is defined as a sudden, non-traumatic, unexpected death in a patient with epilepsy, not necessarily in the presence of witnesses, that is not due to drowning, with or without evidence of a seizure, excluding documented status epilepticus and in which a post-mortem autopsy reveals no anatomical or toxicological cause of death. Little is known about SUDEP and its mechanisms and risk factors. This epidemiological study is based on the RSME. The Main objective of this study to identify risk factors of SUDEP, in particular night-time supervision and the risks associated with anti-epileptic drugs including compliance and drug interactions.